of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The people of Greencastle raised $25,000 to entice the Methodists to establish the college in Greencastle, which was little more than a village at the time. It was originally established as an all-men's school but began admitting women in 1867.

In 1884 Indiana Asbury University changed its name to DePauw University in honor of Washington C. DePauw, who made a sequence of substantial donations throughout