Historic women's college founded 1886, now integrated into Tulane University as Newcomb-Tulane College.
H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College was established in 1886 by philanthropist Josephine Louise Newcomb as a memorial to her daughter Sophie, who died in 1870 at age 15. With an initial donation of $100,000 and subsequent gifts totaling $3 million, Newcomb founded the first women's coordinate college within a U.S. university, a model later replicated by Pembroke College at Brown and Barnard College at Columbia. The college was dedicated to providing liberal academic education for young women and was influenced by Progressive Movement ideals.
Newcomb College developed a distinguished reputation, achieving regional recognition by 1916 as one of seven Southern schools holding standard college designation. The college's art program became particularly renowned, spawning the celebrated Newcomb Pottery, which produced over 70,000 pieces before closing in 1939. The pottery reflected both progressive craft interests and practical skill development. The college's art collections and the Newcomb Art Museum (officially renamed in 2015) continue to draw scholarly attention, including a 2016 Smithsonian-sponsored exhibition.
Newcomb College contributed significantly to women's sports development. In 1895, physical education instructor Clara Gregory Baer published Basketball Rules for Women and Girls, describing the one-handed and jump shots decades before men's basketball adopted them. Newcomb students played the first public women's basketball game in the South that year. The college also originated Newcomb Ball, a volleyball alternative that gained popularity in the 1920s and remains played worldwide.
Following Hurricane Katrina, Tulane University restructured in 2006, merging Newcomb College into the coeducational Newcomb-Tulane College effective July 1, 2006. This decision sparked legal challenges from Newcomb's heirs arguing the restructuring violated donor intent, but Louisiana courts ruled in Tulane's favor (2008–2011). The H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College Institute was established to continue programming and traditions, including the Daisy Chain ceremony and 'Under the Oaks' awards.