Belmont University

In 1890, two school principals from Philadelphia founded Belmont to help female students find their voices at a time before they even had the right to vote. The school that Susan L. Heron and Ida E. Hood launched has grown in countless ways since then, but its founding mission of empowering students to find their purpose through creativity, character development and innovative thinking remains the bedrock of our institution today.

Susan L. Heron and Ida E. Hood chose the antebellum former Belle Monte estate site as the grounds for what is now known as Belmont University. The water tower with its windmill, which would later become Belmont’s now-famous Bell Tower*, inspired the duo to move forward despite the property’s dilapidated condition. The discinctive bells were added in 1928 to commemorate World War I. In 1986, a new set of carillon bells was installed in the historic Bell Tower, replacing the originals that had been sold years earlier for funding purposes.

Belmont College for Young Women opens, bucking the traditional trend of sending girls to finishing schools by empowering students to lead lives of purpose through cultural, intellectual and social learning. 90 students enroll the first year, paying $60 in tuition. The innovative curriculum included 10 different subject fields – English, mathematics, natural science, philosophy, elocution, physical culture, art, music, as well as modern and ancient languages.