Talas American College

In 1820, the first ABCFM missionaries arrived in İzmir, located in the western part of the Ottoman Empire, and began to explore the surrounding region of Anatolia.

[2] His visit and the subsequent work of other missionaries in Anatolia contributed to the establishment of educational institutions, including Talas American College.

In the decade following the Wilson Farnsworth's settlement in Kayseri, significant progress was made, and additional members of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions began to join them.

[2] In addition to their support in Talas, the American missionaries also shared responsibilities at the Argeus Boys' High School in Kayseri, which had been founded in 1883.

The school in Talas, along with other institutions established by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions , continued its activities until the outbreak of World War I in 1914.

[2] However, by 1916, the Ottoman government requisitioned many American Board properties across Turkey, including the Talas campus, to be used as military hospitals.

During this time, Nilson worked to bring the school in line with the newly established educational laws and national curriculum of the Republic of Turkey.

The members of the founding association of Talas American College were Lyman Bartlett, Cornelia Bartlett, Caroline Farnsworth, Wilson Farnsworth, Sarah Closson, and Ardelle Griswold, circa 1870 in Talas, Kayseri.
The members of the founding association of Talas American College were Lyman Bartlett, Cornelia Bartlett, Caroline Farnsworth, Wilson Farnsworth, Sarah Closson, and Ardelle Griswold, circa 1870 in Talas , Kayseri .
Members of the American Board, including Stella Loughridge (first on the left), teacher Susan Orvis (second from the left), and Henry Wingate (sixth from the left), along with other NER staff, Talas-Kayseri, 1919.
Members of the American Board , including Stella Loughridge (first on the left), teacher Susan Orvis (second from the left), and Henry Wingate (sixth from the left) in Talas , Kayseri , 1919.
Students and faculty of Talas American College, circa 1930.
Students and faculty of Talas American College, circa 1930.
Students of Talas American College, with Wingate Hall visible in the background, circa 1950.
Students of Talas American College, with Wingate Hall visible in the background, circa 1950.