Lombard College was founded in Galesburg, Illinois, in 1851 under the leadership of the Universalist Church. The college's Universalist roots led the institution to be fully coeducational and nonsectarian, which separated it from other colleges of the time. Over time, a bond formed between the small campus neighborhood and community members. Blocks away one could see the towers of Old Main, hear the cheers of a football game at Lombard Field, or see the streetcar bringing students to campus. Galesburg native and poet Carl Sandburg grew up visiting the campus and eventually attended as a student. Sandburg published his first works while at Lombard College. Even with its many successes, Lombard College would fall victim to the Great Depression in 1929. All was not lost though; the memories and people of Lombard College live on through photographs.