USA > Kentucky > Fayette County > Lexington > History of Lexington, Kentucky : its early annals and recent progress, including biographical sketches and personal reminiscences of the pioneer settlers, notices of prominent citizens, etc., etc. > Part 5
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52
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
[1780.
Transylvania University, and a residuary legacy of forty thousand dollars, with which the present Morrison College edifice was established .*
The societies flourishing in the University, in 1833, were the Union Philosophical, the Whig, and the Adelphi Alpha.
The public exercises of the institution, at this time, were always conducted with much dignity and state. Probably no state governor in this country has ever been inducted into office with more imposing and impressive ceremonies than those formerly attending the inauguration of a Tran- sylvania president. The long procession, composed of stu- dents, alumni, college societies, city associations and orders, members of the bar, members of Congress, governor and staff, banners and music, the immense crowd of eager citi- zens, strangers, and beautiful women, the solemn oath of office, delivery of university keys, address to the president and his reply, all made up a scene of surpassing interest and brilliancy.
Among the number of those who have acted as tutors in the university, we find the names of Jesse Bledsoe, Daniel Bradford, Mann Butler, C. S. Morehead, and James Mc- Chord.
Rev. Thomas W. Coit, D. D., another Episcopalian di- vine, became the sixth president of the university, in 1835. Dr. Coit came from New England, in 1834, to fill a profes- sorship in the Episcopal Theological Seminary, in Lexing- ton. He acquired some celebrity for his writings in favor of Trinitarianism, and for his pungent essays on the history of the American Puritans. He presided over Transylvania for nearly three years. At present, he is rector of St. Paul's church, Troy, New York.
In 1837, an effort was made by a majority of the faculty of the medical college, to remove it bodily to Louisville. They were unsuccessful, and such was the public indigna- tion, that the enemies of the Lexington College found it convenient to resign.
*Davidson's History.
53
€
TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY.
1780.]
The Medical College suffered by the treachery of pre- tended friends and open enemies, but it speedily recovered. The faculty was at once reorganized, and the following gentlemen were elected :
To the chair of Anatomy and Surgery, B. W. Dudley, M. D., Professor, and J. M. Bush, M. D., Adjunct Professor; Institutes of Medicine and Medical Jurisprudence, James C. Cross, M. D .; Theory and Practice of Medicine, John Eberle, M. D .; Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children, William H. Richardson, M. D .; Materia Medica and Therapeutics, Thomas D. Mitchell, M. D .; Chemistry and Pharmacy, Robert Peter, M. D.
The interest of the entire community was strongly awakened, and a united effort made to increase the en- dowment of the university. In 1838-39, the city of Lex- ington donated $70,000; seventy gentlemen, incorporated February 20, 1839, by the name of the Transylvania Insti- tute, contributed $35,000, out of part of which fund the present dormitory building was erected; and the profes- sors of the medical department, by private contributions, purchased the lot of ground on which a new medical hall was soon built. These gentlemen also paid, out of their own funds, residuary debt on that building to the amount of more than $15,000.
The libraries, museums, chemical and philosophical appa- ratus, and the means of instruction generally, were greatly increased, and the university was put on a more favorable footing than it had ever been. The new medical hall re- ferred to was built on the corner of Second and Broadway, and occupied the site of the present residence of Dr. Bush. The corner-stone was laid July 4, 1839, and the oration was delivered by Robert Wickliffe, Jr.
In 1838, after the resignation of Dr. Coit, the Academical Faculty consisted of Dr. Louis Marshall, President pro tem., and Professor of Ancient Languages; Rev. Robert David- son, Professor of Moral and Mental Philosophy; Dr. Arthur J. Dumont (who succeeded Mr. Priczminski), Professor of Mathematics; Robert Peter, M. D., Professor of Natural
.54
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
[1780.
History and Experimental Philosophy; Rev. Charles Crow, Principal of Preparatory Department.
Rev. Robert Davidson, D. D., a Presbyterian minister, referred to more especially in the chapter in this volume on the Second Presbyterian Church, was the seventh regular president of Transylvania University, and was inaugurated in November, 1840.
In the fall of 1842, the Methodist Church was given the control of the university, which by this time had become considerably prostrated, particularly in the literary and academical department. The eloquent and untiring bishop, Henry B. Bascom, D. D. (see chapter on First Methodist Church), was made president of the institution, and it soon prospered as it had not done for years. There were four times as many students in it two years after the Methodists obtained control than there was the year before they took possession. Bishop Bascom resigned in 1849, and the uni- versity again reverted to the state.
Professor J. B. Dodd, well known as the author of a number of mathematical works, succeeded Dr. Bascom, and acted as president pro tem. up to the reorganization of the university in 1856. Professor Dodd died in Greensburg, Kentucky, March 27, 1872, aged sixty-five.
In 1855, the chairs of the Law College were filled by Professors George Robertson (see chapter on year 1835) ; George B. Kinkead, a native of Woodford county, Ken- tucky, Secretary of State under Governor Owsley, and dis- tinguished both for his high-toned character and legal ability ; and Francis K. Hunt, born in Lexington, a gradu- ate of Transylvania Law School, a gentleman of rare graces and culture, and one of the first lawyers in Kentucky.
The university was reorganized in 1856,* and in connec- tion with it, a normal school, for the education of teachers, was established, under the patronage of the state, as an indispensable aid to the common school system of Kentucky. The scheme was a noble one; the legislature appropriated $12,000 per annum to its support, and the cause of popular
# Acts Legislature.
55
TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY.
1780.]
education in Kentucky never looked more promising. Rev. Lewis W. Green, D. D., was called to the presidency, and the university opened March 4, 1856, with eighty pupils.
Dr. Green, the ninth and last regular president of Tran- sylvania University, was the son of Willis and Sarah Reed Green, and was born near Danville, Kentucky, January 28, 1806 .* He was a student at Transylvania for some time, but graduated at Centre College, in 1824, after which he entered the Theological Seminary at Princeton, studied for the Presbyterian ministry, and was finally ordained. He spent two years in Europe, at the Universities of Bonn and Halle, and while studying biblical literature and the oriental languages, enjoyed the instructions of Neander, Hengsten- berg, and other distinguished scholars. When called to Transylvania, he was president of Hampden Sidney College, Virginia. He labored, with satisfaction and success, at Lexington, for two years, at the end of which time, for some reason, the legislature withdrew the yearly appropria- tion for the normal school, and abandoned the project. Dr. Green accepted the presidency of Centre College, entered upon his duties there in January, 1858, and filled the posi- tion up to the time of his death, which occurred May 26, 1863. He was buried in the Danville cemetery. Dr. Green was an eloquent divine, and, in point of learning, had few equals in the Presbyterian Church in the West. His fine character and amiable disposition always gained for him the sincere love of his pupils.
The Medical School continued to exist with varying suc- cess up to the commencement of the late war between the States. In 1859, its faculty was composed of Drs. Ethel- bert L. Dudley (see year 1862), S. L. Adams (see First Methodist Church), W. S. Chipley (see Lunatic Asylum), B. P. Drake, S. M. Letcher, H. M. Skillman, and J. M. Bush.
Dr. Drake is a graduate of this school, and now lives in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.
Dr. Letcher, a native of Lancaster, Kentucky, was also a graduate of the Transylvania Medical College. He is well
*Biography.
56
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
[1 780.
remembered, not only as a fine physician, but as a fine in- structor in his department. He died in Lexington, in 1862.
Dr. Bush, born in Frankfort, Kentucky, and Dr. Skill- man, a native of Lexington, are both graduates of the school in which they were teachers, and both now stand in the front rank of their profession in Kentucky.
From its founding up to its dissolution, at the beginning of the late war, the Medical College had conferred the de- gree of M. D. upon nearly two thousand graduates .*
The university, which had been declining for years, sunk hopelessly after the failure of the normal school. The academical department struggled on for a few years, owing its existence mainly to that superior instructor, Mr. Abram Drake. It settled into a grammar school, during the late war, under whose depressing influences all educational in- stitutions languished, and through that period its principal was Professor J. K. Patterson, the present accomplished presiding officer of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky University.
In January, 1865, the trustees of Transylvania, desiring to perpetuate for Lexington her character and usefulness as an educational center, conveyed the entire property of the institution to, and consolidated it with Kentucky Uni- versity, on the condition of its removal to Lexington. From 1865, the history of Transylvania University blends with that of Kentucky University, of which it now forms a part.
The record of Transylvania, both at home and abroad is a proud one. Among the names of her thousands of graduates, appear those of Jefferson Davis, Thomas F. Marshall, Dr. B. W. Dudley, Richard H. Menifee, John Boyle, James McChord, Dr. Joseph Buchanan, Richard M. Johnson, John Rowan, W. T. Barry, Jesse Bledsoe, C. S. Morehead, Elijah Hise, "Duke" Gwin, C. A. Wickliffe, and a host of others-with cabinet officers, foreign minis- ters, governors, generals, physicians, divines, and men of every grade and business of life. There is scarcely a town
*Biography.
57
KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY.
1780.]
of any size in all the West and South that does not con- tain one or more of her graduates.
The power that Transylvania has exerted will be felt for generations to come.
Kentucky University, the successor and perpetuator of Transylvania, was incorporated in February, 1858, and located in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Its endowment then consisted of $150,000, obtained by Mr. John B. Bowman, from members of the Christian Church and other liberal friends of education. At the same time, it received the funds and property of Bacon College, an institution founded by the Christian Church in 1836, in Georgetown, but which was removed to Harrodsburg in 1840, and finally failed for want of a sufficient endowment .*
John B. Bowman, the founder of Kentucky University, its present regent, and the one to whom its efficiency and prosperity is so largely due, was born at Bowman's station, near Harrodsburg, Kentucky, October 18, 1824. His grand- parents were among the first settlers of Mercer county. His father, born near Lexington, is probably the oldest liv- ing native of Fayette county. Regent Bowman gradu- ated at Bacon College under President Shannon, and in February, 1846, married Mary D., daughter of Dr. Charles Williams, of Montgomery county, Kentucky. The accom- plishments and self-sacrifice of Mrs. Bowman have had no little to do with the success of Kentucky University. From the time he left college, up to the year 1855, Mr. Bowman was occupied in farming, but ever since that year, his life has been devoted to the up-building of the great institution of which he is the head. He is a man of extraordinary energy, executive ability, and financial sagacity.
" Taylor Academy," a preparatory school of the univer- sity, was opened in the old Bacon College building, at Har- rodsburg, in September, 1858, with nearly one hundred students in attendance.
The College of Arts, the first regular department of the university to go into operation, was opened in September,
*University Records.
58
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
[1780.
1859, under the presidency of Robert Milligan. Pesident Milligan is a native of Ireland, and is now in the fifty-ninth year of his age. He is a graduate of Washington College, Pennsylvania, and was at one time Professor of Mathe- matics in Bethany College. His colleagues at Harrodsburg were Professors R. Richardson, Robert Graham, L. L. Pinkerton, Henry White, and J. H. Neville. All of the professors with one exception (Professor Richardson) sub- sequently taught in the university after its removal to Lex- ington. There were about two hundred students in the university during its first session .*
In February, 1864, the old edifice of Bacon College, used by the university at Harrodsburg, was destroyed by fire, together with its apparatus and library. At this juncture, it was found that the trustees of Transylvania University were willing to convey the gounds and buildings of that institution to the curators of Kentucky University, on the condition of its removal to Lexington. The board left the whole question of removal and location to a committee, of whom Mr. Bowman was chairman.t
Accordingly, Mr. Bowman called the committee to meet at Frankfort, in January, 1865; but an expected denouement followed. While there, the proposition of Congress to do- nate to Kentucky 330,000 acres of land, for the purpose of agricultural and mechanical education, came up for consid- eration. The state was not prepared to accept the grant with the conditions imposed, and the munificent provision of Congress seemed likely to be lost to the state. Mr. Bowman proposed to make the State Agricultural College a department of Kentucky University, and to consolidate into the great institution the University of Harrodsburg, Transylvania, and the Agricultural College, and the whole to be located at Lexington. He further proposed, if this should be done, to provide an experimental farm, and all the requisite buildings, and to give gratuitous instruction to three hundred students, to be selected by the state ; and he furthermore pledged, that the board of curators would
*University Records.
Id.
59
KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY.
1790.]
carry out, in the agricultural department, the spirit and intent of the act of Congress encouraging the education of the industrial classes.
A bill to this effect was accordingly drawn up, and, after long and animated discussion in the General Assembly, it was passed by a large majority, and Kentucky University was removed from Harrodsburg, the grounds and buildings and endowment of Transylvania were transferred, and the State Agricultural College was made a part of the univer- sity, with an aggregate capital of more than one-half million of dollars. As a condition of this removal, the cura- tors of Kentucky University bound themselves to refund to citizens of Mercer county $30,000 which they had con- tributed to the institution, and also furnish $100,000 more, to be invested in an experimental farm and buildings. Mr. Bowman set to work at once to secure the amounts needed, and the following gentlemen, in a printed address,* strongly urged the people of Lexington to assist him, viz : M. C. Johnson, John Carty, Benj. Gratz, J. G. Chinn, John B. Tilford, J. G. Allen, H. T. Duncan, Jr., John B. Payne, Jr. In three months the money was obtained by subscription, principally from the citizens of Lexington and vicinity, of all creeds and denominations.
The first session of Kentucky University, at Lexington, commenced on Monday, October 2, 1865,* with formal and appropriate exercises, in the chapel of Morrison College. Four other departments, in addition to the College of Arts, had, in the meanwhile been created, and went at once into active operation. At its opening in Lexington, therefore, the university consisted of the College of Arts, the Law College, the Agricultural and Mechanical College, the Bible College, and the Academy.
The college of arts, up to the present time, has had four presidents, viz : R. Milligan, 1859; R. Graham, 1865; J. Aug. Williams, 1868; Henry H. White, 1870. The old Morrison College building is used by the college of arts. Henry H. White, Professor of Mathematics, and John H.
*Observer and Reporter.
+Id.
60
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
[1780.
Neville, Professor of Greek Language and Literature, have long reflected credit upon this ably conducted col- lege of the university. Dr. Peter, so long associated with Transylvania, is the distinguished Professor of Chem- istry in this college.
The organization of the Agricultural and Mechanical College was the work, to a very great extent, of its thor- oughly accomplished first president, John Augustus Will- iams, now the head of Daughter's College, at Harrodsburg, and noted as having few equals in the West as an educator. His successors were J. D. Pickett, 1867; Henry H. White, 1868, and J. K. Patterson, 1870. This department enjoyed for some time the services of Professor A. Winchell, now the well-known geologist of Michigan University. The seat of the Agricultural and Mechanical College was purchased in 1866, and cost one hundred and thirty thousand dollars. It consists of " Ashland," the homestead of Henry Clay, and the adjoining estate of " Woodlands," which extends within the limits of the city of Lexington. The entire tract contains four hundred and thirty-three acres of land, unsurpassed for beauty and fertility. Four brick build- ings, for the use of officers and students, were erected at " Woodlands," during the year 1867. The large and hand- some edifice, used by the mechanical department, at " Ash- land," was built in 1868.
The Law College is the full equal of its famous Transyl- vania predecessor. Madison C. Johnson was elected its president in 1868, and still occupies that position. Major Johnson is a graduate of the Transylvania Law College, and was one of its professors in 1850. His strong mind and laborious application have placed him in the front rank at the Kentucky bar.
Of Judge W. C. Goodloe, professor in 1865, see chapter on year 1863.
Judge R. A. Buckner, also a professor in 1865, is a na- tive of Green county, Kentucky. He was circuit judge by appointment of Governor Letcher; speaker of the Ken- tucky House of Representatives in 1859, and is at present
61
KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY.
1780.]
engaged as one of the commissioners appointed by Governor Leslie and the Supreme Court to revise the Kentucky Code of Practice. Judge Buckner's legal attainments are of the first order.
General John B. Huston, who succeeded Judge Buckner as professor, in 1865, and who still retains the position, is a native of Nelson county, Kentucky, and a graduate of Center College. He represented Clark county in the legis- lature, and was speaker of the house. He removed to Lexington in 1863. General Huston is greatly gifted, both as a lawyer and a speaker.
James O. Harrison, elected professor in 1870, was born in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, in 1804, and, after graduating at the Transylvania Law College, settled in Lexington, in 1824. Though he has, at different times, been tendered high official appointments by the general government, Mr. Harrison has confined himself strictly to his professional duties. He is distinguished for his integrity, literary cul- ture, and superior legal attainments.
The Bible College has had but one president, viz : Robert Milligan, from its organization, in 1865, to the present time.
The academy had three principals during its existence, viz : A. R. Milligan, 1866; G. W. Ranck, 1867; D. G. Herron, 1869. This department was discontinued in 1870.
The principals of the commercial department, since its organization in 1867, are named in the order of their suc- cession, viz : J. P. Marquam, W. H. Marquam, A. Hollings- worth, H. P. Perrin.
The societies of the university, viz : the Periclean, Cecro- pian, Union Literary, Christomathean, and Philothean, have reflected no little honor upon the institution, and are rapidly attaining literary efficiency and celebrity.
In 1870, Congress appropriated twenty-five thousand dol- lars to the university, to compensate for the destruction, by fire, of the Transylvania Medical College building, while in the possession of Federal troops, during the late war.
62
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
[1780.
The present executive committee of the university is composed of J. B. Bowman, Benjamin Gratz, Joseph Wasson, Joseph Smith, and Joseph S. Woolfolk. The oldest member of the committee, Mr. Gratz, was born in Philadelphia, September 4, 1792, and settled in Lexington in 1819. He became a trustee of Transylvania in the dis- tinguished Dr. Holley's time, and has been connected with that institution and its successor, Kentucky University, for nearly half a century, and has always been known as one of the firmest and most influential friends of education and public improvement in Lexington.
James B. Beck, the present distinguished congressional representative from the "Ashland district," is a member of the board of curators of the university. Mr. Beck is a native of Dumfriesshire, Scotland, but came to the United States at the age of sixteen, and settled in Lexington, where he graduated at the Transylvania Law College. He was elected to Congress in 1867, and has been returned at every succeeding election. Mr. Beck overcame many very discouraging obstacles in early life, and is a self- made man of the best type. His mind is of extraordinary strength and clearness, and is only matched by his energy and industry.
The various libraries of Kentucky University comprise about ten thousand volumes, and the anatomical museum, the museum of natural philosophy, and the collections of chemical, astronomical, and philosophical apparatus are large and valuable. In June, of the present year, ap- peared the first number of "The Collegian," a monthly, established and ably supported by the literary societies of the university. The endowment and real estate of the institution now amount to eight hundred thousand dollars; and as many as seven hundred and seventy-two matriculates have attended its various colleges in one session.
The States of Virginia and Kentucky, the city of Lex- ington, individual members of all parties and sects, and the United States Government, have all contributed, at various times, to this consolidated fund and this great
1
63
KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY.
1780.]
success; and if the institution is governed and directed as it should be, in accordance with these facts; if its econ- omy is liberal and generous, and free from sectarian bigotry and shortsightedness, it will continue to grow, and will become the full equal of any institution of learning in this country.
64
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
[1781
CHAPTER VIII.
First Trustees of Lexington-Adventures of McConnell, Bry- ant, and Hogan-County Government-List of Clerks and, Sheriff's-Charles Carr-Court-Houses-Town of Lexing- ton Laid off-First Lot Owners.
THE blow given by Clarke to the Miami Indians pre- vented any formidable invasion during this year (1781), but it could not keep out small bands of the enemy, who con- stantly hung upon the outskirts of the settlements, and captured or killed many of the pioneers. But, despite their savage enemies and all other drawbacks, the inhab- itants of Lexington station persisted in the up-building of their village. The terrible winter gave place to a delight- ful spring ; game for the settlers and food for the live stock were abundant, and energy came with renewed hope. Early in the spring more land was cleared; planting was com- menced as soon as possible; a road (Main street) was cut, cleared, and extended some distance from the gate of the fort, and the settlers assembled and elected their first board of trustees, composed of Robert Patterson, Levi Todd, Henry McDonald, David Mitchell, and Michael Warnock .* The trustees held their first meeting, March 26, in one of the log cabins of the fort, and, with an eye to the growth and prosperity of Lexington, acted with a most commend- able spirit of enterprise and liberality. By this time, the first court of Fayette county had been formed, and one of the first resolutions of the trustees was, "To inform the court of Fayette county that, if they should deem Lexing- ton a proper place for holding courts in the future, the sum of £30 in gold or silver, or the value thereof in continental
*City Records.
65
ADVENTURE OF McCONNELL.
1781.]
currency, will be granted by the trustees for public build- ings."* At this meeting it was also, " Ordered that the town land be laid off in lots, the in-lots to contain one-third part of an acre each; and that they be granted to each free male person above the age of twenty-one years, and each widow ; every young man who can make it appear he acts in his own behalf, and not under the immediate control and jurisdiction of some other person, who, at the time of laying them off and distributing them, appears to be an actual resident within the place, subject to such conditions and penalties as shall be hereafter required ; that a number of lots, not less than thirty, be reserved for public uses, and such other purposes as may hereafter be requisite."+ Proper persons were selected for the work of laying off the town, but the plan was not adopted for nine months after this meeting. Whether the Indians were the cause of the delay or not, we can not speak positively; but that they continually harassed the settlers of all the stations in Fay- ette county during the entire spring and summer, we know.
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