By the mid-nineteenth century,a number of academies, seminaries and "colleges" were established in Warren County. These institutions functioned as private high schools until the early 1900s when the public high school system was established. The schools drew students from outside the region. In some instances, entire families moved to Bowling Green to send their children to school.
William F. Whitesides founded Cedar Bluff College in 1864. Located in Woodburn, the school attracted young ladies from Kentucky and surrounding states until its building burned in 1892.