History of Rider Exhibit at Trenton City Museum

“Rider: The First 99 Years” will be exhibited at Ellarslie from September 17 – November 15, 2009.  The exhibition opened on Thursday, September 17, with a reception from  6 to 8 p.m.  Dr. Walter Brower, Professor Emeritus, spoke at the opening reception.

A lecture by Dr. Walter Brower and Archivist Robert Congleton will be given at the museum on October 25, 2009 at 2 p.m.

Originally founded in 1865 by the Bryant, Stratton and Whitney chain of business colleges as the Trenton Business College, the school became Rider College in 1921.  Rider College called Trenton home until 1964, when it left the City to relocate in nearby Lawrenceville.

The initial curriculum provided students with skills needed by the Trenton business community for its growing economy.  The introduction of a “business teacher” program enabled Rider to educate and train future business leaders at the secondary school level, increasing its importance to Trenton’s business community.

Documents and artifacts from its 1865 beginnings through its 1964 move to a new campus in Lawrenceville will show the evolution of Rider from a small for-profit business school to a non-profit college offering degrees in business, education and liberal arts. The exhibit focuses on important moments in Rider’s history, the people who owned and governed the college, the evolution of its curriculum, Rider’s relationship to Trenton businesses, student life, athletics, and the move to Lawrenceville.

The displays feature pictures, documents, memorabilia and artifacts.  Some of the more notable artifacts are typewriters from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, photographs of Rider’s first graduating class in 1867, as well as early diplomas.

Although Rider began its relocation to the Lawrenceville campus in 1959 and closed its Trenton campus in 1964, the school retains strong ties with its original home city.  This exhibition invites students, faculty and alumni to learn about the history of this venerable educational institution as it evolved from a small business school to a modern university.

For more information or directions, please contact Museum Director Brian O. Hill at 609-989-3632 or visit www.ellarslie.org.