USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Amherst > Amherst past and present : being an historical sketch of the founding and development of the town of Amherst, Massachusetts and its institutions, together with a guide to the principal points of interest > Part 2
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To meet the need in Amherst the citizens decided to found an academy, at that period the most popular and prosperous of all educational institutions in New England. The academy not only afforded college preparation in the classics but it also taught the sciences. Moreover, it was in most cases co-edu- cational.
A subscription paper for establishing an academy was cir- culated in July, 1812. The first names signed were those of Samuel Fowler Dickinson and Hezekiah Wright Strong, the men to whom Amherst College afterwards owed its origin. Rev. David Parsons 3rd, and Calvin Merril of the Center, together with Justus Williams of South Amherst, also actively aided the movement. Noah Webster, who at that time was living in the town, gave assistance by his enthusiasm and advice.
With the $5,000 subscribed, a large three-story brick build- ing was erected on land given by Rev. Dr. Parsons just west of the Boltwood Tavern. When in 1868 the property was sold to the town, the present Amity Street schoolhouse was built on the site.
Amherst Academy was dedicated Dec. 5, 1814; in the evening the town expressed its joy by bonfires, ringing of bells, and general illumination. The school opened with a large en-
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rollment of boys and girls and with an "admirable corps of teachers". Soon it attracted pupils from all parts of New Eng- land, having at one period almost 200 in attendance. In 1816, through the influence of Noah Webster, at that time a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, the academy received its charter.
Amherst's debt to Noah Webster can never be measured. When he came to the town from New Haven in 1812 he was al- ready nationally known as a scholar and the author of the Spell- ing Book. Regarding his move into the country he wrote: "I purchased a house and six acres of land in Amherst, Mass. The principal motive of this change of residence was to enable me to subsist my family at less expense." Besides lessening ex- penses the change gave him uninterrupted time for his great work, the dictionary. His house stood near the end of what was afterward called Phoenix Row and the approximate site is now marked by a tablet. The house was burned in the great fire of 1838 when the early records of the academy were also destroyed.
The influence of Mr. Webster and his family during their ten years' residence in Amherst was very great. He had a passion for education that kindled the desires of the towns- people. He not only helped to found the academy and to ob- tain its charter but by his wisdom and reputation he guided the first steps of the Collegiate Institution which became Amherst College.
The Collegiate Institution was the child of the academy within a few years of its establishment. The founders of both were the same. At this time the supply of ministers was not equal to the need owing to the expenses of a liberal education. To give free tuition to young men desirous of entering the Christian ministry, the trustees of the academy at first pro- posed to raise scholarship funds. On further consideration they decided to collect a "Charity Fund" to found a separate school. Their efforts resulted in the Collegiate Institution (1821) which four years later was incorporated as Amherst College.
Among early students at the academy was Mary Lyon of Buckland, founder of Mt. Holyoke College. The preceptress, Miss Sarah Strong, thus describes her as she appeared in 1818:
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"Uncultivated in mind and manners, of large physique, 21 or 22 years of age, and receiving her first impulse in education." Again it is said of her: "Her homespun apparel, her extraordin- ary scholarship, her boundless kindness were equally con- spicuous." A pupil of a later generation who attended the academy, 1841-7, was to become the greatest woman poet of America. This was Emily Dickinson, granddaughter of Samuel- Fowler Dickinson. An intimate wrote of her: "Emily was the wit of the school". A friend and academy-mate of Emily Dickinson was Helen Fiske, later Helen Hunt Jackson, the writer known as "H. H."
The first president of the board of trustees was Rev. David Parsons 3rd. It is an interesting fact that Thomas Jones, father of Samuel Minot Jones, donor of the Jones Library, was a trustee of the academy 1841-53.
After ten years of success the academy abolished the "female department" in order to devote all its resources to pre- paring young men for college. Professor W. S. Tyler, who was an instructor at the academy 1830-1, says in his autobiography : "Amherst Academy * * * though possessed of no endowment or funds beyond the building and the grounds, was then the larg- est and most flourishing institution of its kind in the state." He adds that he lived at a boarding house very popular with the college students kept by a Mrs. Ferry in the yellow gambrel- roofed old dwelling of Judge Simeon Strong-even then a cur- ious antique ! One of his fellow boarders was a Freshman named Henry Ward Beecher who had just entered Amherst College from Mt. Pleasant Institute.
With the establishment of high schools in many towns, Am- herst Academy declined. Though it returned to a co-educa- tional basis to increase its numbers, it became more and more of a local institution until it was superseded by the Amherst High School.
In 1929 the late Dr. Frederick Tuckerman of Amherst, a trustee of the academy, published for the board a scholarly and illuminating history of the institution together with the begin- nings of Amherst College, entitled : "Amherst Academy, A New England School of the Past."
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PART OF THE AMHERST COLLEGE CAMPUS, SHOWING THE OCTAGON, CHAPEL ROW, AND WILLISTON HALL
AMHERST COLLEGE
History
As has been mentioned in connection with Amherst Acad- emy, the purpose in founding Amherst College was the educa- tion of poor but promising young men who desired to enter the Christian ministry. When the trustees of the academy began their drive for the Charity Fund of $50,000 the people of Hamp- shire County were so eager for the college that they gave even of their poverty. Leaders in the campaign were Col. Rufus Graves, Hezekiah Wright Strong, and Samuel Fowler Dickin- son. It was due to the eloquence and convincing logic of Mr. Dickinson that the institution was located in Amherst. Land for a site was donated by Col. Elijah Dickinson and the first building, South College, was erected by community effort.
The "Collegiate Institution", as it was called at first, be- gan to function in 1821 with a faculty composed of Rev. Zephaniah Swift Moore as president, two professors, one tutor,. and forty-seven students. Of these, fifteen students had fol -. lowed President Moore from Williams College. The resources. of the institution were the Charity Fund of $50,000, about ten
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acres of land near the village meeting-house, and one college building.
The Collegiate Institution did not become a college until 1825, owing to refusals of the legislature to grant a charter. President Moore died in the second year of office and Rev. Heman Humphrey took his place in 1823. The next ten years were a period of such feverish growth in numbers that Am- herst's enrollment in 1836-7 was 259 students, making her the second largest college in the United States. The rapidity of in- crease strained the resources of the institution as it had no endowment but depended on public support. In addition, debts incurred for necessary buildings were still unpaid.
In this crisis President Humphrey resigned and the faculty took the helm. Prof. Edward Hitchcock was elected president and at his suggestion the faculty agreed to accept as salary what- ever remained after operating expenses were paid. For several years the president received only $660 a year and each pro- fessor $440. To this heroic group Amherst College owes its continued existence.
President Hitchock by his personality and scientific attain- ments inspired men of wealth to endow professorships and give buildings. A subsidy from the state helped to pay off the old debts. By 1854 the college was on its feet and President Hitchcock resumed his chosen position in the ranks of the faculty. He was one of the first to make science an important part of classical education. As the result of his many and varied achievements he became a person of national promi- nence. His house, with the octagon addition built to hold his collection of minerals, still stands at 91 South Pleasant Street, opposite College Hill. With his administration ended the formative period of Amherst College.
The next president of Amherst College was William A. Stearns, 1854-76, in whose term occurred the Civil War. Am- herst sent 344 of its alumni and undergraduates to fight for the Union. In 1871 the College observed its Semi-Centennial. The succeeding presidents were: Julius H. Seelye, 1876-90; Merrill E. Gates, 1890-9; Rev. George Harris 1899-1912; Alex- ander Meiklejohn, 1912-24; George D. Olds, 1924-7; Arthur Stanley Pease 1927-
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Campus and Buildings
(In summer a guide may be found at Room 2, Walker Hall.)
The Campus of about sixty-one acres adjoins the town Common on the southeast. Two landmarks are worthy of notice. One is the College Well behind Johnson Chapel, dug by the townspeople in 1820 and for many years the only water supply for the college; the other the Senior Fence north of the Octagon, where the interclass singing contests are held.
Of the twenty college buildings devoted to educational uses, ten belong to the first half-century of Amherst's existence. South College was the earliest (1820). Noah Webster, vice-presi- dent of the board of trustees, delivered the address at the lay- ing of the cornerstone. For this structure citizens of Amherst and vicinity contributed money, building materials, teams for hauling, and even labor. The boys of Amherst Academy ex- cavated for the foundations, Pelham donated the stone, Mill Valley made the bricks. The dormitory, now modernized, is the home year by year of the entering class. North College duplicated South in 1822. It has been renovated and is used as a dormitory. Johnson Chapel, between the two dormitories, was Amherst's third structure, erected in 1827 partly with money left by Adam Johnson of Pelham. For nearly twenty- five years it served as combination church, laboratory, museum, library, and recitation building. The view from the tower is justly famous. The auditorium, which has been lately reno- vated, is used for chapel services and lectures. Hanging from the balcony are the flags of the Amherst Ambulance Corps in the World War, one of the first units to go overseas. The President's House (1835) has been the home of most of Amherst's executives, although at one time it served the Stearns School for Girls. It is a beautiful example of the Georgian style of architecture adapted by local builders. The Octagon (1847), built as a cab- inet and observatory in accordance with the ideas of President Hitchcock, now houses the Department of Music. The T. Henry Morgan Library, used for its original purpose from 1853 to 1917, is at present an office building with a room for art ex- hibitions. In the entrance hall are six cuneiform inscriptions from the palace of Sardanapalus at Nineveh, of the period 900
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B. C. There is also at the entrance a six-pounder cannon, the memorial to Lieut. Frazer A. Stearns, son of President Stearns, who was mortally wounded at the battle of Newbern, N. C., March 14, 1862. Williston Hall (1857) contains the Christian Association Rooms on the first floor, the Greek and Latin Rooms on the second, and the Mather Art Collection on the third. Appleton Hall (1855), adjoining South College, is the home of the Department of Botany. The college herbarium totals over 100,000 specimens. The Gilbert Museum of Indian
COLLEGE HALL
Relics is on the second floor of the main building. Barrett Hall (1860) is the oldest college gymnasium in the country. In this building Dr. Edward Hitchcock created the first department of physical education in any American college. The hall, remod- eled, is the recitation building for the Modern Language De- partment. College Hall (1829), originally the village meeting- house, was bought by the college in 1867 and renovated in 1905
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by the class of '84. It has been the scene of nearly all of the Commencements since the opening of Amherst College.
The last fifty-odd years have seen Amherst steadily acquir- ing buildings for her needs. Walker Hall, erected in 1870 and burned in 1882, was rebuilt after the same architectural pattern. This is the seat of the administrative offices. College Church. (1870), overlooking the Pelham Hills, was erected through the generosity of W. F. Stearns, son of President Stearns. The chime of bells in the tower was given by George Howe in mem- ory of the graduates of Amherst who fell in battle during the Civil War. For many years at graduation each class planted an ivy beneath the walls of College Church and cut numerals in the stone. Pratt Gymnasium was given in 1884 by Charles M. Pratt, '79. Here are both gymnasium proper and the offices of the Department of Physical Education. In the south wing is the Pratt Natatorium (1906), gift of Harold I. Pratt, class of 1900. On the floor above are four squash courts donated by Mortimer L. Schiff, '96. Fayerweather Laboratory (1893) now houses the department of Physics only, the Department of Chemistry having been removed to its new building. Pratt Health Cottage, the College Infirmary (1897), named for its donors George D. Pratt, '93, Herbert L. Pratt, '95, and John T. Pratt, '96, stands on a knoll half a mile northeast of the Campus. The Astronomical Laboratory (1902) is on rising ground south of Pratt Field. It was made possible by a bequest of Charles T. Wilder supplemented by a gift from D. Willis James, '89. The Biological and Geological Laboratories (1909) occupy a building on the south side of the Campus. The Department of Geology has on display four notable collections: the Hitchcock collec- tion of ancient reptile tracks; a collection illustrating the evolu- tion of vertebrates made by Prof. F. B. Loomis; the historical geology collection; the Shepard collection of minerals and meteors. One of the most important exhibits in the Biological Department is the series of Audubon birds. Amherst was one of two colleges that purchased the entire Audubon collection.
Morris Pratt Memorial Dormitory was built in 1912 by Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Pratt as a memorial to their son Morris, a former member of the class of 1911. Converse Memorial Library
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(1917), given by Edmund Cogswell Converse in memory of his brother James Blanchard Converse, '67, was designed by Wil- liam Rutherford Mead, '67, of the firm McKim, Mead & White. Among points of interest in this beautiful library the Clyde Fitch Room is unique. This collection, containing the drama- tist's books, objects of art, and personal memorabilia, was given to the college by Capt. and Mrs. William T. Fitch after the death of their son, a member of the class of '86. In the vesti- bule of the library are inscribed the names of the Amherst dead in the World War. The Faculty Club House is at the foot of College Hill west of the Campus. Morrow Dormitory (1925), the gift of Dwight W. Morrow, '95, is the fourth and newest dormitory on the Campus. A part of the first floor is given up to the college cafeteria. The Moore Laboratory of Chemistry (1929), at the northeast corner of the Campus, was given in memory of William Henry Moore, '71, by his wife and two sons. It houses the Department of Chemistry.
Athletic Fields
Amherst's open spaces for athletics are: Blake Field (1881); Pratt Field, gift in 1890 of Frederic B. Pratt, '87, where the major intercollegiate contests are held; Hitchcock Field (1911) south of the Gymnasium, for general games and intramural sports; the Mt. Doma Golf Course, which was presented to the college by Mortimer L. Schiff, '96, and is maintained by the Amherst Golf Club, composed of students, faculty, and towns- people. The Indoor Athletic Field (1925), known as the Cage, is located south of College Hill and is used for track work, early baseball practice, and indoor tennis.
MASS. AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE
Massachusetts Agricultural College was one of the first in- stitutions of its kind in the country. It originated as a result of the new desire in the middle of the 19th century for scientific training along various lines, one of which was agriculture.
In 1850 Massachusetts appointed a commission to report on the expediency of establishing agricultural schools. Presi- dent Edward Hitchcock of Amherst College, who was at that time in London, was made a member of the commission with the request that he look into the methods of some of Europe's agricultural institutions. When the commission submitted its report, President Hitchcock described more than 350 of these schools.
Because of the demand for technical education, Congress passed the Morrill Act of 1862. This granted a portion of the public lands for the endowment in each state of a college that should give instruction in agriculture, in the sciences including military tactics, and in the mechanic arts. Massachusetts ac- cepted the grant but decided that the mechanic arts should be taught at the Institute of Technology which was already organ- ized. Thus the Massachusetts Agricultural College was founded April 29, 1863, as an agricultural college only.
The trustees were urged to unite the college with some established institution as an agricultural department. Both Amherst College and Williams petitioned the the General Court for the new school but the legislature was resolved to found an independent institution. The question of a location provoked much discussion, as Amherst, Springfield, Northampton, and Lexington were ready to furnish the $75,000 demanded by the legislature. Finally the trustees for several reasons decided on Amherst.
If any one man is entitled to be called the "Father of the Massachusetts Agricultural College" it is Marshall P. Wilder,
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who through the years of investigation and discussion spared neither himself nor his resources for the success of the project. Colonel Wilder, though a prosperous merchant of Boston, was the leading spirit in the Agricultural and Horticultural Societies of the country.
The college while in course of preparation had three presi- dents: Hon. Henry Flagg French, 1864-6; Prof. Paul Ansel Chadbourne of Williams College, 1866-7; William S. Clark, first acting president, elected Aug. 7, 1867. The earliest member of the faculty was Levi Stockbridge, made farm superintendent and instructor in agriculture in 1866. At the time when W. S. Clark was elected president, Ebenezer Snell of Amherst Col- lege became professor of mathematics and Henry H. Goodell professor of modern languages. These four men composed the faculty during the first year of college work.
It was fortunate that the college secured at the start such a man as Levi Stockbridge. A native of Hadley, he was not only a practical farmer but a man thoroughly conversant with the latest and best in agricultural literature. When he began his work at M. A. C. there was not a chair of agriculture in the country nor anyone to whom he could turn for advice. He proved to be not only a wise and inspiring teacher but a business man as well. In the dark financial days of the college he raised money for current expenses on his own personal notes at the bank.
The formula for fertilizers worked out by Professor Stock- bridge in 1876 revolutionized the fertilizer business of the coun- try. With the first money from royalties for the use of his name, he began experimental work at the college. This laid the foundation for the first Experiment Station established in this country in connection with an agricultural college.
When the first students, numbering thirty-three, arrived on Oct. 2, 1867, they found the buildings unfinished and the col- lege farm a collection of six estates intersected by old fences and hedgerows. Never did a faculty or students face greater prob- lems and difficulties than did the four professors and the Pioneer Class of 1871. Moreover, prejudice and opposition were active in every quarter.
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The original buildings were: South Dormitory, a boarding house north of the ravine, a Chemical Laboratory, and the Botanic Museum. In the dormitory two large rooms accommo- dated the state cabinet of Natural History and Geology of Massachusetts.
The college has prospered during the administrations of Col. W. S. Clark, 1867-79; Hon. Charles Louis Flint, 1879-80;
*
MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE CAMPUS
Hon. Levi Stockbridge, 1880-2; Hon. Paul Ansel Chadbourne (second term), 1882-3; James Carruthers Greenough, 1883-6; Henry Hill Goodell, 1886-1905; Kenyon L. Butterfield, 1906- 24; Edward Morgan Lewis, 1924-7; Roscoe W. Thatcher, 1927- "From a modest beginning the college has grown steadily not only in the field of resident instruction but in that of re- search and extension. * Research work was established as a separate unit in 1882 when the state provided for * * * an agri- cultural experiment station. This station, which was located at
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the college, was supplemented by another, the Hatch Experi- ment Station, in 1887. These two stations were combined in 1905 and are now known as the Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station.
"The scope of the college was further broadened by the establishment of the Extension Service. This aims to make available to residents of Massachusetts * * * information in agri- culture and home economics. It now serves those who are not able to take resident instruction in Amherst. Thus, at the pres- ent time, the college fulfills the three-fold purpose of instruction, research, and extension work."
The degree of B. S. is awarded to those who finish the four- year course and is accompanied by a military diploma given by the Commandant. For those having neither the preparation nor the time for a collegiate course, the Stockbridge School of Agriculture offers a two-year training in practical agriculture. The Summer School of Agriculture, established in 1897, now covers the whole sphere of country life.
Campus and Buildings
Accompanying the steady growth of the college has come the increase in physical equipment. From the original farm of 1867 has been evolved a beautiful Campus of 700 acres, while in addition the college owns a large tract on Mt. Toby used as a demonstration forest. Around the Campus, which is oval in shape, are grouped the college buildings in the following order:
South College (1885) is the seat of the administrative offices. The west wing is a men's dormitory housing also the offices of the Christian Association and the Inter-Church Secretary to- gether with the Social Union hall for meetings. Flint Laboratory (1911) contains the plant for Dairy Manufacture. In Stock- bridge Hall (1914) are located several of the departments and a special reference library. The fine and fully-equipped Bowker Auditorium seating 900 is also in this building. Grinnell Arena (1910) is for the judging of livestock. The Rural Engineering Shop (1916-24) is a laboratory for farm machinery and motors. Draper Hall (1902) contains the college dining hall and cafeteria.
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The Goessmann Chemistry Laboratory (1924) is an up-to-date- laboratory. The third floor of the East wing is occupied by the research professors of the Experiment Station. West Experiment Station (1886) is the home of the state control work. East Experiment Station contains the offices of the director of the Station. Abigail Adams House (1919) is a modern dormitory accommodating 100 girls. The Homestead is a pre-Revolutionary farmhouse, next to "The Abbey," which has been restored and appropriately furnished and equipped as a practice house for the division of Home Economics. Bacteriology and Physiology Labo- ratory (1915) is designed to carry on bacteriological work as it relates to agriculture and to public health.
The Infirmary consists of two cottages on the hillside in the rear of the Bacteriology Laboratory. The Physics Building (1867) contains a well-equipped laboratory for work in college physics. Wilder Hall (1905) is devoted to Landscape Garden --- ing and Pomology. Fisher Laboratory (1910) is a fruit-packing and storage house. French Hall (1908-13) houses the Depart -- ments of Floriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, and Vegetable Gardening. Clark Hall (1906) is occupied by the Department of Botany. Fernald Hall (1909) houses the Department of Zoology, Geology, and Entomology, with museums. The labo- ratory for food work, of the Home Economics Department, is in the basement. The Mathematics Building contains the class- rooms for instruction in mathematics and surveying.
Paige Laboratory (1898) is devoted to the work in Veter- inary Science. The Drill Hall (remodeled in 1927) houses the offices of the Military and Physical Education Departments. Memorial Hall (1921) is the social center of student life. It was erected in memory of those heroes from M. A. C. who died in the World War. On the second floor is an auditorium seat- ing 350. The Library (1885) was originally the college chapel. It contains one of the best agricultural libraries in the country as well as a collection of general reading matter.
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