Parker College was established in 1888 in Winnebago, Minnesota by the Western Association of Free Baptists. 70 acres of land was given by the city of Winnebago for the college to build itself on. However, it did not don the name of "Parker College" until 1891, naming itself after L. D. Parker, the man that provided money as endowment of property. Before, the college was known as the North West Free Baptist College. The building costed $20,000 to construct. It was built from bricks and was three stories high. The building had classrooms, a library, and offices, while the basement became a manual training department. The dormitory was not built until 1913. At first the male students and teachers were only allowed in the dormitory, only later to have the rooms available to women as well. During the time women were not allowed in Lindahl Hall, the dormitory, female students stayed within Parker Lodge, a house acquired by the college. Five courses of study were available to the students: business, music, theology, science, and education. A four-year program was awarded with a Bachelor of Arts degree. The music course specifically offered five-year programs of voice, piano or violin. An oratory course was also provided within Parker College as a two-year program designed to teach students reading and public speaking. An additional course was a one-year course in woodworking. The Department of Commerce also provided a short, nine-month program for shorthand and bookkeeping within the college.
As for sports, students at Parker College participated in football, baseball, basketball, and tennis. The team color of the school was purple. The team played many games against the nearby colleges of Mankato Normal and Gustavus Adolphus. However, due to the small size of the school and of the sports teams, the athletes of Parker College played against high school teams when they were not able to compete against colleges. The 1909 football season of Parker College was coached by Bobby Marshall, a major African American athlete from the University of Minnesota, making him the first head football coach that is an African American.
Financial troubles threatened the college in 1911, therefore the Baptists sold the building to the Methodists. Unfortunately, the problems were not fully solved. The college ran until 1924, when the school unfortunately closed down. The cause that is believed to cause this closure was financial troubles. Plans were made for an opening of a "Parker College for Girls" in 1926, but not enough students enrolled for the school to open. The building remained empty until the 1930's (See Modern Day).