A Methodist women's junior college in Bristol, Virginia that operated from 1870 to 1976.
Sullins College was founded in 1870 and became affiliated with the Methodist Church in 1873. The original downtown building burned in December 1915, prompting relocation to a new residential campus that opened in September 1917. Under the Martin family's proprietary control from 1917 onward, the college attracted daughters of wealthy Southeast families seeking prestige. The college celebrated its centennial in 1970 but faced declining enrollment and financial difficulties in the 1970s, ultimately closing in July 1976 after the graduation of its final class.
The college maintained strict in loco parentis policies throughout most of its existence. Student life included the school newspaper *Reflector*, yearbook *Sullins Sampler* (which won third place in a Methodist competition in 1946), Phi Theta Kappa chapter, and various clubs. The graduating class of 1955 donated five Peter Pan statues placed around a campus pool. The college operated Camp Sequoia on South Holston Lake as a recreational facility for students.
By the 1970s, women's colleges had fallen out of favor, and as a two-year institution, Sullins was particularly vulnerable. Enrollment dropped from a peak of nearly 400 in 1968 to just 102 freshmen by fall 1972. Facing a $1.2 million debt in 1976, the college attempted to transfer to Virginia's state system and later to the city school system, but both agreements failed. The college closed permanently in July 1976, with its records eventually transferred to King University in Bristol, Tennessee.