Brandon College was established in Brandon in 1889 by the Baptist Union of Western Canada, and was affiliated with McMaster University. In 1898 Toronto industrialist William Davies, along with his sister-in-law, Mrs. Emily Davies, pledged $25,000 towards the establishment of a Baptist College in Brandon. The first principal of the college was A. P. McDiarmid. McKee's Academy, including its building on Rosser Avenue, was merged into the new institution. On July 13, 1900, the cornerstone was laid by Mrs. Davies for the first building of the present campus, at the corner of 18th Street and Lorne Avenue. This and the adjoining Clarke Hall later became Brandon University's administration buildings.