Williamson College of the Trades

Private vocational college

Williamson College of the Trades (formerly Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades) is a private men's junior vocational college in Middletown Township, Pennsylvania. The school was founded on December 1, 1888, by Philadelphia merchant and philanthropist Isaiah Vansant Williamson.

After contemplating the idea since the 1850s, Isaiah Williamson spent the final decade of his life formulating and developing the concept for a new trade school for underprivileged boys to be located in a suburb of Philadelphia. Williamson personally drafted the Foundation of Deed, which he presented to the board of trustees on December 1, 1888. The charter members of the board of trustees were all accomplished in their own right, consisting of mostly tradesmen, who were colleagues and friends of Williamson. The seven charter trustees included: John Baird, James C. Brooks, Lemuel Coffin, Edward Longstreth, William C. Ludwig, Henry C. Townsend, and Williamson's close friend and protege, John Wanamaker. Baird was chosen as president of the trustees (after Wanamaker declined the position), and Brooks and Helmbold were selected as treasurer and secretary, respectively. John M. Shrigley was also appointed secretary and President of the school. He took the lead in developing the campus and implementing the curriculum.

In 2013, a historical marker from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission was placed near the campus' main entrance in commemoration of the school's 125th anniversary and its noteworthy architecture. The historical marker (#HM1D5B) reads:

Founded in 1888 by philanthropist Isaiah V. Williamson to teach underprivileged young men "some trade, free of expense" via a character ~ based curriculum. With trade apprenticeships disappearing in the US in the late 19th century, it was a model in vocational education. It is the only trade school in the nation providing full scholarships to all students. The campus contains the largest existing collection of buildings designed by Frank Furness.

Although the vocational school subscribes to a "Judeo Christian" belief system, and enforces a highly disciplined lifestyle, it is not affiliated with any religious organization.