Anyone traversing the hilly, tree-lined paths of Penn State Abington would be hard-pressed to imagine the college in its first incarnation. Among the most diverse of Penn State University s commonwealth campuses today, the college s lineage dates to 1850 as the Chestnut Street Female Seminary in Philadelphia. This pictorial history traces its evolution from a private finishing school for affluent girls to an affordable public college that draws students from 17 states and 29 countries. Among the celebrated figures who contributed handsomely to the school s prestige and growth are Civil War...