In 1913, Belmont College, (1890) and Ward Seminary, (1865), were consolidated, forming the Ward-Belmont College, a prestigious women’s finishing school. The school was located on the grounds of former Acklen estate and mansion, with a quadrangle of academic and residential buildings being erected over time on the front lawn. Ward-Belmont boarded students from over thirty states. It was one of the largest schools for young women in the South. In 1951 Ward-Belmont was purchased by the Tennessee Baptist Convention and renamed Belmont College.
