Annhurst College was founded by Mother Louis du Sacré-Coeur, D.H.S., the Provincial of the American Province of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit in 1940 as an all women's college. The college was officially dedicated on September 23, 1941, as Ker-Anna Junior College and changed its name two years later. The name was created as a combination of "Saint Ann" and the German suffix "-hurst," referring to the grove-like setting of the campus. Student life on campus included a newspaper called The Heather, a yearbook called The Sylvan, and athletic programs. An alumnae association was formed in 1945 by the first graduating class. Students called their college "Annie U." Annhurst had an active arts community. Annhurst sponsored and housed the Eastern ConnecticutPerforming Arts Group, which had 50 members at the time of the college's closure. In 1967, the college decided to construct a new fine arts building to meet demand; it opened in 1970 as the Annhurst College Cultural Center. Although a private, Catholic college, Annhurst had received state funding for its cultural center's construction. This was found to not be in violation of the Establishment Clause by the Supreme Court of the United States in Tilton v. Richardson. In its final years, administrators tried multiple approaches to counter the college's mounting debt, which reached $4 million by 1980. Co-educational evening and part-time students were accepted by 1971, with men admitted as full students starting in 1972. The Annhurst International Institute provided English as a second language education to international students. In 1977, the college began offering admission to students with learning disabilities who were unable to complete high school. In an appeal to Catholic students, administrators emphasized philosophy and religion in the curriculum. A month before closing, the college auctioned off physical assets, including its sign. At the time of its closing in May 1980, Annhurst had 350 students, of which 25 were male..
Former campus
The rural campus was sold to Data General Corporation, headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts. The Data General Facilities group, led by Roland Quillia, converted the college to a Field Engineering training center. The converted Data General field engineering training center opened in November 1981. In 1997, the campus was sold to Hyde School, based in Bath, Maine. In 2017, the campus was purchased by the locally based Woodstock Academy. The former Annhurst College Student Center is named Annhurst Hall.
