the school was made coeducational by incorporating the Female Institute, which was located nearby.
The West Florida Seminary was located on the former Florida Institute property. The area, slightly west of the state Capitol, was formerly and ominously known as Gallows Hill, a place for public executions in early Tallahassee.
=== Civil War and Reconstruction ===
During 1860–1861, the legislature amended the 1851 law and started military instruction for students, partly due to the desire to protect the instructional staff from conscription, which would have closed the school. During the Civil War, the seminary became "'The Florida Military and Collegiate Institute.'" Enrollment grew to around 250 students. The school arguably became the state's largest and most respected educational institution. In 1865, at the Battle of Natural Bridge south of Tallahassee, cadets from the school joined active-duty Confederate troops in the defensive line.The cadets were trained by Valentine Mason Johnson and led into battle …
