board for many years. Later years Following her retirement from Butler University in 1883, Merrill continued to teach literature, offering private lessons at her home. Death and legacy Merrill died at home in Indianapolis on May 30, 1900. Following funeral services on June 2, 1900, at Fourth Presbyterian Church, Merrill was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. Merrill is remembered for her rare abilities as an educator. Admired for her kindness, "single-mindedness and determination," she lived quietly and did not seek fame. Merrill's long life and career as an educator, nurse, and college professor, opened doors for other women. Honors and tributes Butler University conferred on Merrill an honorary Master of Arts degree in 1871. A group of local women, many of whom were Merrill's former students, founded the Catharine Merrill Club in 1885 and named it in her honor. In 1889 the club commissioned Hoosier Group artist T. C. Steele to paint Merrill's portrait and gave it to her as a gift. The painting was later donated to Butler University. The Indianapolis Public Schools named Public School Number 25, located on the site of the Merrill family homestead, the Catharine Merrill School in 1900. Merrill's friends and former students endowed Butler's Catharine Merrill Chair of English in 1907 (the endowment lapsed in 1930). Published works The Soldier of Indiana in the War for the Union (Indianapolis: Merrill and Company, 1866, 1869) Two volumes The Man Shakespeare and Other Essays (Indianapolis: Bowen-Merrill, 1902) References Sources (Updated 2002-01-02) External links Merrill-Graydon Family Papers, 1836-1930 (Bulk 1890-1920) at the Indiana Historical Society Letter from John Muir to Catharine Merrill at the Indiana Historical Society 1824 births 1900 deaths People of Indiana in the American Civil War People from Corydon, Indiana People from Indianapolis 19th-century American historians American essayists Writers from Indiana Butler University faculty 19th-century American women writers 19th-century essayists American Civil War nurses American women nurses American women historians