page_title: History of the University of West Alabama
section_title: Depression Era:  1920–1956
hierarchical_section_title: History of the University of West Alabama / Depression Era:  1920–1956
caption_attribution_description: English: A photo of the Alamuchee-Bellamy Covered Bridge in Sumter County, Alabama. It was taken by M.L. Devall in October 2007 on the campus of the University of West Alabama.
context_page_description: The University of West Alabama was chartered in 1835 as Livingston Female Academy and State Normal College, a church-related female academy, and admitted its first students in 1839. After difficult times during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods, the school reopened in the late 1860s or early 1870s. Although it appears that a few male students were admitted following the reopening, a resolution by the Board of Trustees in 1876 excluded boys, and this policy was followed until the beginning of the 20th century. Livingston Female Academy and State Normal College continued as a women's college with some State support until 1907, when the State assumed full control. It remained under its own board of trustees, however, until the Alabama Legislature created a State Board of Trustees for all the normal schools in 1911. In 1919 this board was abolished and all state normal schools were placed under the supervision of the State Board of Education. During these early years the school offered both secondary education and normal school programs for the training of teachers.
context_section_description: In 1929 the school at Livingston became State Teachers College, Livingston, Alabama, with authority to confer the degree of Bachelor of Science. The Bachelor of Arts degree was authorized in 1947. Although the institution had begun accepting male students soon after 1900, the student body remained predominantly female through the 1950s.
caption: The Alamuchee-Bellamy Covered Bridge on campus
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