The oldest known college to continuously exist on US soil is, which dates back to 1636 — 140 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. In fact, the first images of Harvard are so old, they predate the invention of photography; rather, they're sketchings of the buildings which stood then, many of which still stand today.
Since Harvard's founding, many other postsecondary institutions have been established. Today, there are more than 4,000 degree-granting intuitions in the nation, according to Keep reading to learn which colleges are America's oldest and to see what they looked like centuries ago compared with how they look now.The New York Historical Society / Getty Images
Columbia is located in New York City, New York, and was founded in 1754. Previously known as King's College, it received a royal charter from King George II of Britain. It was renamed Columbia after the American Revolution.It's also one of America's eight Ivy League institutions.Courtesy of “WLU Special Collections
Located in Lexington, Virginia, Washington and Lee University was founded in 1749. It used to be known as Augusta Academy and Liberty Hall, but it was eventually renamed for George Washington and for Robert E. Lee, who was president of the university from 1865 to 1870.As noted in an email to Business Insider, there are apparently no original photographs of Lincoln Hall, as it burned down in 1803 — years before the invention of photography.