for seventeen years. Both his wife and his son, J. Breckenridge Ellis, were part of the faculty. During Ellis's tenure, the institution served as "a school for girls and boys, young women and young men", and taught "music and art, and gymnastics, beside the regular course of studies". Ellis's direction of the school was described as "highly successful". During this time, the building was also used for community functions, and "was the scene of many social gatherings", through which it was reported that "[m]any of the most distinguished men of the nation have been entertained within those walls". In 1897, Ellis "sold the college to the German Baptists, who allowed it to become extinct after much litigation and many legal contests". The building was later "used for a sanitarium for a short time", and a short-lived effort was made to continue conducting a college there under a Dr. Sharpe. The Plattsburgh Chautauqua Association acquired the building in 1909, and as of 1920, still held the property. Notable alumni of the institution include Archelaus Marius Woodson, who served on the Supreme Court of Missouri. References External links History of Plattsburg and Clinton County, Plattsburg Chamber of Commerce 1855 establishments in Missouri 1897 disestablishments in the United States Clinton County, Missouri