Northwest Louisiana was Home to One of the First Colleges for Women

Red River Radio | By Jacquelyn Tripp

Published April 13, 2024 at 4:23 PM CDT

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Mansfield Female College museum director Van Reech stands before a historic image of the school’s former students.

(Source: KTAL/KMSS’ Jaclyn Tripp.)

April 13, 2024. Mansfield Female College was founded by the Methodist Church in the 1850s in Mansfield, La., less than a decade after the town of Mansfield was established. Its first students were the daughters of wealthy Southern planters, who wanted their daughters to obtain higher education.

April 13, 2024. Mansfield Female College was founded by the Methodist Church in the 1850s in Mansfield, La., less than a decade after the town of Mansfield was established. Its first students were the daughters of wealthy Southern planters, who wanted their daughters to obtain higher education. Having served as a field hospital during the Civil War, it is claimed that the college is home to a ghost of one of the soldiers, known as Peg Leg Pete. Jacquelyn Tripp, reporting for Red River Radio and KTAL, recently visited with the director of the Mansfield Female College Museum about the school’s unique and haunted history. More on this story can be found at https://www.ktalnews.com/news/top-stories/civil-war-ghost-said-to-haunt-old-womens-college-in-northwest-louisiana-heres-where/.