In January, 1903, the Legislature of the State of Nebraska appropriated $50,000 for the establishment of a State Normal School to be located in central or western Nebraska. On the 111th ballot, the Nebraska State Board of Education selected Kearney as the site and construction of the Administration Building started in 1904.
The new institution was located on a site of some 20 acres on the west edge of Kearney. The location included one building, Green Terrace Hall, which was used mainly as a dormitory until razed in 1960.
The first classes of Kearney State Normal School were held in the summer of 1905 with 96 students enrolled. The name of the school was changed in 1921 to Nebraska State Teachers College at Kearney and the program was expanded from two to four years. In 1949, the College was authorized to grant Liberal Arts degrees and in 1956 to establish a graduate program. The official name of the institution was changed to Kearney State College in 1963. As an institution of higher education the College performed an important role in the development of the State and continues to meet the educational, research, and service needs of the State of Nebraska.
Nebraska State Historical Society
US 30, on campus
Buffalo County
Marker 125