LAPORTE, Ind. (AP) — One of Indiana’s earliest medical schools will be honored with a state historical marker later this month.

A marker will be dedicated Friday at LaPorte University’s former site in the northern Indiana city of LaPorte.

The school’s medical department began classes by 1842, making it one of Indiana’s first universities with professional medical training. The department’s faculty members included Dr. William W. Mayo, whose practice later evolved into the Mayo Clinic.

For less than a decade, the short-lived school trained doctors and prepared them for the region’s medical needs in surgery, anatomy, theory and obstetrics. Before its founding, Indiana offered few opportunities for professional medical training.

Classes ceased around 1850 and the department was consolidated in 1851 with Indiana Central Medical College in Indianapolis.