Emmanuel College was founded in 1919 as the Franklin Springs Institute in Franklin Springs, GA. In its first years it taught high school courses grades eight through eleven and three college level courses. The first buildings were two hotels and a skating rink. In 1931, the college was forced to close for two years during the Great Depression. When the school reopened, the new president, Thomas Aaron, began to refocus the institute's priorities from being a high school to a college. In 1939, the name was changed to Emmanuel College and the high school was called Emmanuel Academy.