Classes began in the autumn of 1867 in the basement of Erskine Presbyterian Church in downtown Montreal, with Professor (later Principal) Donald Harvey MacVicar.
Some graduates of the College, in the spirit of good natured competition, still refer to that period as "the Babylonian captivity"!
By the 1950s, the older buildings were in need of repair; rather than embarking on lengthy renovations, Presbyterian College and McGill University transferred lands.
In recent years, the college has rented out two floors of its residences as dormitories for McGill University students.
His invention of the sport of basketball, brought him back to Montreal, just before his 1939 death, to receive the Honorary Doctor of Divinity.
Another alumnus, who like James Naismith (see above), gained a reputation away from the pastorate and/or academia, was John Weir Foote (1934 Graduate), a heroic World War II Chaplain, and later Ontario Cabinet Minister.