 Whether or not they were influenced by the already-existing colleges is not known, but Fulton's bid of $40,000 and the offer of of land was surely a factor.The school, which had previously been located at Camden Point, Missouri, later became William Woods College for Women, which later became a Coed University, thus accepting men.Novelist Henry Bellamann was born in Fulton in 1882, and grew up and attended college there.