Founded on June 6, 1787, Franklin College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania honored Benjamin Franklin. Marshall College, founded in 1836 in Mercersburg, honored Chief Justice John Marshall. Financial strain and cultural conflict eventually forced their merger in 1853.
The Mercersburg Riot of 1837, sparked by fierce opposition to an anti‑slavery society on campus, exposed deep political fractures in early American education. Pro‑slavery locals and students violently disrupted an abolitionist meeting, forcing the speaker to flee. The ongoing turmoil and financial instability contributed to the eventual merger that created today’s Franklin & Marshall College.
