USA > Illinois > Ogle County > Mount Morris > Mount Morris: past and present, an illustrated history of the township and the village of Mount Morris, Ogle County, Illinois, in their various stages of development, together with a local biographical directory > Part 8
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All other Branches. 5.00
Painting, extra. 3.00
Music. 10.00
Boarding with the Steward, including room-rent and use of
furniture, per week.
1.50
Students furnish their own lights. beds, and towels. A small charge is made dur- ing the winter for fuel.
Payment for board and tuition must be made Quarterly in advance; but in case students are obliged to leave the institution on account of sickness, the money will be refunded.
During the second year of school, Rev. Daniel J. Pinckney, then pro- fessor in the Genesee (N. Y.) Wesleyan Seminary, was elected principal of the seminary, and arrived in Mount Morris in August, 1842. Upon his arrival he found the school in a much less prosperous condition than it was the year previous. The heavy debt was being diminished very slowly; the building was not yet entirely completed, and only sixteen students were in attendance. He at once put his shoulder to the wheel, and dur- ing the summer traveled extensively in northern Illinois and southern
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ROCK RIVER SEMINARY.
Wisconsin, working up the interests of the institution with such good ef- fect that the fall term opened with one hundred and fifty students in attendance. From that time on throughout the many years that Prof. Pinckney was connected with the school, it was very successful and had an abundance of students. Its usefulness, however, was much crip- pled because of a lack of finances.
The following sketch, a part of the history of the seminary, written by Hon. R. R. Hitt and which appeared in the catalogue of the seminary for 1874, will be interesting at this juncture:
The country was then very sparsely-settled .- a wide region of far-sweeping prairies, with winding strips of woodland following the course of the streams,-the few people scattered here and there were mostly persons with narrow means, working dili- gently to open farms, living in small, inconvenient, temporary houses. with the pressure of necessity-clothing. food, the improvement of the land, their stock and crops-to divert their attention from the future value of education to their sons and daugh- ters. They generally possessed more individual energy and force of char- acter than is found in the average citizen nowadays, and responded readily to the appeals of the agents of the seminary and the enthusiastic Methodist circuit riders, who enter- ed upon this cause as heartily as they do upon every other good thing. The students who came were, many of them, crude and awk- ward beginners; a few were ad- vanced by previous advantages in the east, but they were generally of good families. and their education in the school was preceded and supple- mented by home and social educa- tion. rendering it ten-fold more valuable. They grew up with the PROF. DANIEL J. PINCKNEY. spirit of the period upon them. the energy characteristic of a new coun- try, and. as a result, there is a surprising proportion of those whose names occur as students in the catalogues of those days who have risen to distinction as clergymen. lawyers. merchants, politicians, editors, influential and substantial citizens, or accom- plished, useful and honored women. Among those whose names appeared in the first catalogues were Dr. Augustus H. Ankney, now a leading and wealthy citizen of Clin- ton. Iowa : T. C. Ankney, of Viroqua, editor of the Wisconsin Independent; Rev. John Emery Clark. a well-known Methodist educator; John B. Cheney, afterward a bril- liant lawyer; Albert Deere, the manufacturer of the Deere plow at Moline: Prof. S. M. Fellows. long a teacher here, a man of great worth and scholarship: Richard M. Han- ilton, of Chicago; James C. T. Phelps, William J. Mix. of Oregon; Rev. William R. Irvine. Hon. James D. Turner. Gen. W. H. L. Wallace, afterward a prominent lawyer, a soldier of distinction in the Mexican War. and in the late war rising to the rank of a General officer. fell fighting gallantly at Shiloh: Gen. M. R. M. Wallace, brother of the
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT.
preceding, now at Chicago and judge of the Cook county court ; Captain John F. Wal- lace, another brother. who served in the army and died at Galveston, Texas. Among the ladies. Margaret C. Hitt. now wife of Hon. D. J. Pinckney: Helen M. Judson, now wife of Gov. John L. Beveridge. Elizabeth Reynolds. now wife of Hon. L. P. Sanger. Scores of others. equally well-known and honored. might be mentioned from the 156 names in the first catalogne.
Since the writing of the foregoing in 1874, some of the persons men- tioned advanced to still more prominent positions, but most of them have now died. In addition to those already mentioned must also be added our townsman and member of Congress from this District, Hon. Robert R. Hitt; John W. Hitt, for many years a prominent citizen of Mount Morris, now of Iowa: Robert S. Hitt, of Chicago: Dr. Benj. G. Stephens, who died in Mount Morris a number of years ago: Almira M. Robertson, now Mrs. A. M. Bacon of Oregon: Ann E. Swingley, now Mrs. J. C. Phelps of Oregon; John Hitt, Deputy Collector of Customs at Chicago over thirty years: James Martin, afterward a professor in the institution, and later principal of a seminary near Sacramento, Cal. During later years when Prof. Pinckney was principal, a great many other prominent men attended the seminary, among whom were Gen. John A. Rawlins, Secretary of War under President Grant: Gov. John L. Beveridge: Gov. Shelby M. Cullom, at present U. S. Senator; Hon. G. L. Fort, member of Congress; Hon. James H. Beveridge, ex-State-Treasurer; Hon. Henry L. Magoon, at one time member of Congress from Wisconsin; Rev. Dr. Fowler, editor of the Christian Advocate and Journal, New York: Daniel H. Wheeler, after- ward professor at Cornell College and in the Northwestern University at Evanston, and later editor of the Methodist at New York: Hon. Moses Hallett, afterward United States Judge in Colorado: John V. Farwell, a partner in one of the largest wholesale dry-goods houses in Chicago; Congressman George W. Curtis, of Iowa: James H. Cartwright, Chief Justice of Illinois; John P. Hand, Justice Supreme Court of Illinois: Judge Theodore D. Murphy, Woodstock, Illinois; Judge Edmund W. Burke, Chicago; Judge Lucien C. Blanchard, Oskaloosa, Iowa; Judge Reu- ben C. Bassett, Seneca, Kansas; Gen. Smith D. Atkins, Freeport, Illinois: Prof. Fernando Sanford, Leland Stanford University, California; and many others who have achieved success, but cannot readily be traced.
Prof. Pinckney left the institution iu the hands of his assistant, Prof. S. R. Thorpe, during the latter part of the school year 1844-'45, on account of ill-health. Dr. J. C. Finley succeeded him during the next year, after which Prof. Pinckney again took charge. In 1847, he was elected a mem- ber of the Constitutional Convention, and, during his absence, left Prof. Fellows in charge of the seminary. From 1847 to 1850, Rev. Carmi C. Olds served as principal, also Prof. Fellows during the latter part of the school year 1849-'50, after which Prof. Pinckney was again elected to the office.
About this time " Old Sandstone " began to be entirely inadequate for the requirements of the school, with its large number of students, and plans were put on foot for the erection of the large stone building now known as "Old Sandstone," the name being transferred to it when the
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ROCK RIVER SEMINARY.
original "Old Sandstone" was torn down in 1893. At a meeting of the Board of Trustees, September 9, 1850, action was taken and the following resolution adopted:
Resolved, That we advertise in the Mount Morris Gazette. to receive proposals for stone and brick work and other materials. for the walls of a new seminary building forty by one hundred feet, four stories high. until the first of October, 1850.
Prof. Pinckney, F. B. Brayton, and Enoch Wood were appointed a building committee, and in May, 1851, were authorized to close a contract with Jacob Myers for the erection of the stone walls for the new building, and work was commenced soon afterward. The immense quantity of stone necessary was quarried from a ledge along Pine creek.
To establish an endowment fund for the seminary, the scholarship system was adopted in 1851. Scholarships were to be perpetual and sold for $60. The next year, as an additional means to raise funds, a part of the seminary land, now the Botanical Garden Addition, containing thir- teen and one-half acres, was ordered surveyed, divided into forty-eight lots, and recorded as an addition to the village.
In 1852, a new charter was drafted, and Prof. Pinckney went to Spring- field to apply to the Legislature for an act of incorporation as a univers- ity, with university privileges, in which he was entirely successful. Prof. Pinckney resigned as principal in January, 1853, and Prof. George L. Little was his successor. Prof. Little was succeeded by Prof. Spencer Matteson, and upon the death of the latter, in November, 1853, Prof. Pinckney again assumed active control of the school.
The new stone building, commenced in 1851, was not yet completed in June, 1854, it being estimated at that time that six thousand dollars would be sufficient to complete it. The trustees passed the following resolution:
Resolved, That we raise twelve thousand dollars on well-secured pledges. to be ap- propriated to the payment of the debts of Rock River Seminary, and to the finishing and furnishing of the new building. Provided, the said sum of twelve thousand dol- lars shall be thus pledged and secured by the twentieth day of September next.
Prof. Pinckney again resigned the principalship, in June, 1855, and his active connection with the institution ceased. For more than thirteen years he had devoted his time, energies and money to advance the pros- perity and usefulness of the Rock River Seminary, and had been its prin- cipal most of that period. He was its greatest worker and strongest director through trying but famous years. He was a fine teacher and bold thinker, possessing a brilliant, many-sided mind.
Prof. N. T. Harlow followed Prof. Pinckney as principal, the new building being then ready for occupancy. A loan of twelve thousand dol- lars was obtained from the Northwestern University, secured by the sem- inary property and notes, to pay for the new building and other debts.
In 1858, the seminary property was rented to Profs. Harlow and Pope, who conducted the school for a number of years.
June 20, 1865, Prof. Harlow resigned as principal, and Profs. John Williams and O. F. Matteson were elected associate principals. In 1867,
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT.
Rev. J. M. Caldwell became principal and served two years. June 23, 1869, the entire faculty having resigned, Prof. Brush was elected principal but would not accept, and Rev. R. H. Wilkinson was then chosen. He served until June, 1870, when he resigned. On September 28, 1870, a contract was made with Rev. S. H. Adams, whereby he should run the seminary accord- ing to the provisions of the charter, and have all the revenues from the same until they reached the sum of four thousand dollars. Elaborate provisions were made for the disposition of any surplus that might accrue. This appears to have been a very weak period in the history of the school, and for several years afterward the doors of "Old Sandstone " were closed and the school suspended.
May 7, 1873, the trustees held a meeting and passed a resolution that the executive committee be authorized to make, in connection with R. R. Hitt, such arrangements with some person or persons, as would secure the opening of the school and the running of the same, without incurring ex- pense or liability to the trustees. Later, this committee reported having secured the services of N. C. Dougherty as principal, together with a full and competent faculty. Prof. Dougherty managed the affairs of the in- stitution for a number of years with skill and ability, and once more the time-honored halls resounded with the tread of students. The faculty during the first year of the administration of Prof. Dougherty consisted of himself as principal; R. Arthur Edwards, professor of Latin and Greek: Miss Lottie M. Smith, preceptress, Miss Maria Hitt, teacher of Music.
Toward the close of the principalship of Prof. Doughtery, the semi- nary bore the appearance of prosperity, but an expensive faculty was too much of a burden upon the financial resources of the institution, and the school finally closed down in 1878 for that reason. Then, too, the Metho- dists had established at Evanston a much larger and better-equipped school known as the Northwestern University, which encroached very ser- iously upon the territory from which the seminary had drawn her stu- dents. The heavy mortgage upon the property of the seminary finally ended the administration of the Methodists. To satisfy the creditors the property was sold, Hon. R. R. Hitt being the purchaser. Mr. Hitt kept the seminary property in his possession for some time, but finally disposed of the two old buildings and campus to Elders Melchor Newcomer and D. L. Miller, and John W. Stine, for the sum of six thousand dollars. The two blocks west of the present campus and now known as the Seminary Addi- tion, Mr. Hitt had platted and sold in lots.
Thus ended the career of the renowned and time-honored Rock River Seminary, after a checkered but influential life of forty years. In her his- tory it has not been deemed necessary to refer to the hundreds of men and women whose names were inscribed upon the rolls during the long series of years in which the institution continued the most flourishing in this part of the country. The names of many of them who have attained suc- cess in various avocations after leaving Mount Morris have already been given. Hon. R. R. Hitt has very briefly summed up a few points concern-
ROCK RIVER SEMINARY AS IT APPEARED IN THE SEVENTIES.
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ROCK RIVER SEMINARY.
ing the most prominent principals and preceptresses, as follows: "The long administration of Principal D. J. Pinckney was conspicuous for its ability and success. Principal C. C. Olds was an excellent teacher and a general favorite. Prof. D. H. Wheeler, now of Northwestern University and editor of the Lakeside Monthly, first a student and then a professor, gave abundant promise of the great reputation as an author, scholar and minister which he has achieved. Several of the preceptresses who suc- cessively had charge of the young ladies, were of unusual character and grace; notably, Miss C. A. Hurd, afterward Mrs. Pettingill, of Niles, Mich .: Miss E. V. Mitchell, afterward Mrs. A. M. Hitt; Miss Rosalie D. Blanchard, later wife of Major Charles Newcomer, of Mount Morris: Miss Elizabeth Clement, now Mrs. Dr. Dinsmore, of Omaha, Nebr .: Miss Sarepta Irish, now Mrs. S. M. I. Henry, of Rockford, Illinois."
In December, 1885, after the institution had been under the control of the Brethren for several years, a number of the citizens of Mount Morris, who still harbored a warm affection in their hearts for the old school, con- ceived the idea of having a reunion of the alumni of the seminary, to- gether with all those who attended from its origin in 1839 to the close in 1879. The plan received enthusiastic support, and the reunion, which oc- curred in June, 1886, was a great success. The first move toward the carrying out of the project was the calling of a meeting in February, which resulted in the appointment of the following officers: Hon. R. R. Hitt, president; A. W. Brayton, treasurer; Dr. W. T. Speaker, secretary. As many names and addresses of old students and teachers were obtained as possible, and a circular issued, requesting names and addresses of others. This circular was sent to about three hundred persons, and from this small nucleus the whereabouts of more than sixteen hundred of "Old Sandstone's " graduates and students were learned. From north and south, east and west, came letters conveying the names and addresses of farmers, merchants, clergymen, governors, senators, legislators, judges, bishops, poets, and men and women occupying the most prominent and enviable positions in life. Also missives from across the briny deep told in tender and loving words of the deep regrets, and the longings to be present with that noble band of boys and girls, students of "Old Rock River Seminary." From the flattering results obtained from the first cir- cular, committees were appointed to carry forward the completion of, and arrange dates for, the grand reunion. The twenty-ninth and thir- tieth days of June and the first day of July, 1886, were the days selected for the occasion, with a program filled with many rare treats.
Not less than 7,500 students went out into the world from the shades of "Old Sandstone " since its foundation. Out of this number, 365 names were enrolled on the secretary's book at the reunion, and their owners answerered "present" at the "roll-call " during "chapel exercises." Mount Morris gave the visitors a royal welcome. Wesley street was gaily decorated with evergreens and flags, and the " Welcome," in huge letters,
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT.
stretched entirely across the street, showing due appreciation of the event. A large flag was also stretched above the stile at the east entrance of the college campus. In the southeast corner of the beautiful grassy campus, under the foliage of large spreading maples, seats were erected for a thousand people, and a stage that would accommodate a hundred.
The programs of the three days were participated in by scores of men who possessed great ability. Thousands of people gathered each day to hear them relate tales of their old college days, and tell of the pleasures, as well as the hardships, of the days spent in acquiring knowledge with- in "Old Sandstone." Among the old students who gave the longest and most interesting speeches were Hon. John Hitt, of Chicago; Col. B. F. Sheets, of Oregon; and Hon. R. R. Hitt. Later in the summer, there was published a 56-page booklet, containing a complete report of the proceed- ings of the three days, also the letters of regret sent in to the secretary, and the entire roll of all the old students who attended the reunion. It is a valuable keep-sake.
The reunion was a grand success, and the pleasure and profit afforded by the three days spent in talking over "auld lang syne " will not be for- gotten by those present while life lasts. And may it be likewise with "Old Rock River Seminary!"
CHAPTER VI.
MOUNT MORRIS COLLEGE.
One of the first attractions to engage the attention of the visitor to our village is Mount Morris College, with its three substantial buildings and park-like campus, situated on the crest of the elevation upon which the village is built. The ideal situation of the institution-just opposite the two principal business blocks-makes a very favorable impression up- on the stranger, and expressions of admiration are frequently heard. The college of today is the monument which has been reared upon the ruins of the old and time-honored Rock River Seminary, whose eventful career has been followed in the preceding chapter. Before proceeding with a de- scription of the college as it is today, it will be well to trace its history from the time the Brethren purchased the property in 1879.
As has already been noted in the previous chapter, the Rock River Seminary, during the seventies, gradually became involved in financial difficulties which finally ended her career. Hon. R. R. Hitt purchased the property, which he later disposed of to Elders Melchor Newcomer and D. L. Miller, and John W. Stein, for 86,000. These gentlemen were mem- bers of the German Baptist Brethren church, and they purchased the property with the intention of starting a school which should be conduct- -ed under the auspices of that denomination. After expending several thousand dollars in improvements, the three gentlemen reopened the school under the name of Rock River Seminary and Collegiate Institute. Mr. Stein was elected president and D. L. Miller, business manager. A catalogue and a circular were issued, a competent faculty engaged, and all preparations made toward getting the institution in working order.
On August 20, 1879, the first term of the school under the management of these Brethren was opened. Sixty students a very encouraging be- ginning considering all the circumstances-were in attendance. Prof. Stein displayed remarkable ability as president of the college and as an instructor, but in the year 1881 he became the principal of an es- capade, the equal of which never occurred in Mount Morris before or since. On pretence of going to Europe for his health, he left his wife and family and eloped with his ward, Miss Delilah Tombaugh, who had been living with the family and attending the college .*
*This sensational escapade of Prof. Stein was a romance long discussed by Mount Morris people. It appears that when Prof. Stein and his family came to Mount Morris they were accompanied by Miss Tombaugh, who is said to have been a girl of strikingly handsome face and form. She came to Mount Morris to enjoy the educational advan-
(95)
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT.
After his departure, Elder D. L. Miller became president and also con- tinued as business manager of the college, which rather dignified title the institution was then beginning to assume. Under his management the patronage of the school rapidly increased, young men and women coming from all parts of the country where members of the Brethren church were located.
In 1884, the trustees obtained a new charter for the school and changed the name to Mount Morris College. The capital stock at that time amounted to $30,000. In that year, Prof. J. G. Royer came here with his family from Indiana, and invested considerable money in stock. He was then elected president, which position he has filled with much credit ever since. From that time the advancement of the college has been steady, and its development has been noted with much pleasure by the citizens of Mount Morris. Each year new improvements have been added and the equipment and facilities of the college greatly increased for the better accommodation of the young men and women who came from nearly all parts of the Union to develop their moral and intellectual capabilities.
During the latter part of the eighties, the two original seminary buildings, shown on page 91, began to be recognized as entirely inadequate for the growing necessities of the college. Accordingly, plans were set on foot for the building of a new temple of instruction, the present College Hall, shown on page 99. About $20,000 were necessary for the erection of the desired building, and Pres. Royer started to solicit the amount by subscription throughout the Brotherhood. The canvass proved successful
tages of the college. In intellect she was far the superior of Mrs. Stein. and she and Stein were constantly studying together, possessing, it is said. an affinity of tastes. The result of this companionship can be conjectured. Though there was a difference of twenty years in their ages, the president of the college and his pupil fell in love with each other. The vigilant publie soon discovered this fact and Stein commeneed to de- vise ways and means to evade the consequences of his guilty amour. He gave out that the duties of the presidency were weighing upon him to such an extent that it was imperative for him to take a trip to Europe in order to recuperate. He also repre- sented that Miss Tombaugh was to be married to a young man named Petri. in Chi- cago, and he accompanied her thither, returning with a glowing account of the wed- ding. Later he started on his supposed trip to Europe. With the exception of a letter from New York and one from Vienna nothing further was heard from him for two years. The Brethren became alarmed, and through Congressman Hitt, then Assistant Secretary of State, inquiries were set on foot and search made by ministers and con- suls in all the principal cities of Europe for six months, but without success. At last Stein was given up for dead. Two years later, however, a letter came from the miss- ing man. who was living at Portland, Oregon. In his communication, Stein confessed that he had never been to Europe. but that he was living with Miss Tombaugh on a gov- ernment claim in Oregon. The letter from Vienna was only a blind, he having given it at New York to a German tourist, who mailed it for him when he arrived at the Aus- trian capital. The news of Stein's duplicity came upon the Brethren like a thunder- bolt out of a clear sky. They had reposed the utmost confidence in him as a reliable educator and a faithful minister of the gospel. Under the circumstances. they were compelled to disown him. Prof. Fernando Sanford, who was a member of the faculty during Prof. Stein's presidency, now of the Leland Stanford University, in a letter to the Century Reunion of students and professors of Mount Morris College, held during the Brethren's annual meeting at North Manchester. Indiana, in June, 1900. tonchingly refers to the unfortunate occurrence as follows: "No one who ever came under the spell of that wonderful man. John W. Stein, can forget the impression which he made. I speak of him reverently, not attempting to excuse in any manner his fatal weakness. the result of I know not what heredity, but without which he would have seemed to us more than common man. I have met many noble men and women, but not one in whose innate nobleness of character or upright intentions I have had. or still have, more faith: or for whose fatal weakness I could more easily weep. No experience of my life has influenced me more toward charity for the weaknesses of my fellow-men than the sad example of him whom we all loved as a father."
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