Organized by the Baptist Church in 1849, it was located in Oregon City and is partly a predecessor to Linfield College.

Ezra Fisher was asked to start the school, but when he went to the planned site it was not available and instead he started to teach school inside the Oregon City Baptist Church while leaders contemplated what to do for a permanent site.

[1] The society then met again on February 8, 1850, and Oregon City was selected as the permanent home for the school, which had grown to about 50 students.

[3] The California Gold Rush and the Donation Land Claim Act led to a decline in students, with enrollment dropping to around 50 in February 1851.

[3] That fall, women were no longer allowed to attend, and George Chandler and James Read took over as teachers from Rev.