San Joaquin Valley College

The bronze's own date has been copied three ways: it says May 19, 1958, while transcriptions give May 15, 1968 and May 19, 1959. The school it marks opened as Woodbridge Seminary in 1879, after the United Brethren in Christ made the town their California headquarters, became a four-year college that graduated its first class in 1885, and closed in 1897, the first college in the San Joaquin Valley. A small plate beside the bronze lists the site as Historic Site No. 169 of the United Methodists, the church the Brethren later joined.

What the plaque says

San Joaquin Valley College Built through subscription by the residents of Woodbridge and dedicated as Woodbridge Seminary in 1879 by the United Brethren Church, this was the site of San Joaquin Valley College, 1882-1897. It was then used as Woods Grammar School until 1922, when the building was dismantled. Historical Landmark No. 520 Plaque erected by the California State Park Commission in cooperation with the Northern San Joaquin County Historical Society, May 19, 1958. Dedicated to the memory of the teachers and students of the college. Historic Site No. 169

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Town of Woodbridge — 0.4 mi
• Site of Wood's Ferry and Wood's Bridge — 0.6 mi
• Lodi Arch — 2.1 mi
• Pioneer Hill and Lockeford — 8.1 mi