Our Shared History: Delaware, Methodism, and Wesleyan University

The histories of the city of Delaware, the Methodist Episcopal Church, and are deeply intertwined. In a very real sense, we grew up together. A confluence of events during the early years of the 19 th century resulted in the birth of a beautiful city and a college nestled next to a Sulphur Spring.

What follows in imagery and text is the history of the city, the church, and the college up to 1900. However, our timeline includes major events through the present day.

The first inhabitants of Delaware County were mound builders, native peoples about which very little is known. They lived in the area for thousands of years and the remains of their burial mounds can be seen throughout the county. The second inhabitants were the Mingo and Delaware Indian tribes. Prior to 1800, a village of Mingo Indians (Pluggy’s Town) existed where the current Mingo Park is located, and there were two villages of Delaware Indians—one near the junction of the Olentangy River and the Delaware Run, and the other located near the current Monnett Garden.

The founder of the city of Delaware was Colonel Moses Byxbe. He emigrated from Massachusetts to our area in 1805, establishing the town of Berkshire. He and co-founder Judge Henry Baldwin collaborated to set up the town of Delaware in 1808. It was Colonel Byxbe’s hope that the town would become the capital city of the state of Ohio, but the state legislature voted to make Franklinton (now Columbus) the capital in 1812. The town of Delaware was officially incorporated by the Ohio State Legislature on February 26, 1816.

The original town was laid out on the east side of the Olentangy River in 1808, but after a few months, a decision was made to relocate to the west side. Azariah Root was instrumental in laying out the town.

Moses Byxbe built his first home on East William Street where St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church is located. His second home was made of brick and was situated on North Union Street. The town’s first physician, Dr. Reuben Lamb, erected a brick residence on East William Street in 1811. The first lawyer in town was Leonard H. Cowles. He arrived in Delaware in 1810 and married the daughter of Col. Moses Byxbe. William Little moved from Connecticut to Delaware and opened a store downtown. It was Little who established the Blue Limestone Quarry.

The first house in town was actually the Barber Tavern, located on the site of the current Ohio Wesleyan campus near Phillips Hall. The tavern was built in 1807 by Joseph Barber. This establishment served as the gathering place of the town and as a stopover for those traveling through town. During the War of 1812, General William Henry Harrison and his troops spent time in Delaware (located on the route between Chillicothe, the temporary state capital, and the battle sites of Sandusky and ) and provided a real boost to the fledgling economy of our little town. A stone marker on the OWU campus memorializes the location of the Barber Tavern and the Harrison trail.

A hotel was located at the corner of Sandusky and Winter Street as early as 1808. President James Monroe stayed in this frame building when he visited Delaware in 1817. In 1845, Otho Hinton erected a brick hotel on the spot and named it the Hinton House.

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The Methodist Episcopal Church was formed in the United States in 1784. Its governance was based on a “connectional system” of small societies united into large geographic circuits that were served by hearty circuit riders who travelled hundreds of miles on horseback to preach and administer sacraments. The first such society established in Delaware was founded in 1818, and was the precursor to the present William Street United Methodist Church.

The 1820 General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church voted to encourage Annual Conferences to establish “literary institutions” in their geographic areas. An educational renaissance occurred among members of the church, and the importance of education for the religious and moral development of children and adults was a theme that was everywhere to be seen. The Ohio and Kentucky Annual Conferences joined together in 1821 to establish a Methodist Episcopal college in Augusta, Kentucky, known as Augusta College. Articles appeared in church publications stressing the need for universal education and higher education. The Western Christian Advocate began publication as the official organ of the Methodist Episcopal Church for the Ohio and Indiana geographic area in 1834. Articles and editorials about the importance of education appeared on a regular basis.

From the beginning, the Sulphur Spring had been a draw for Indian tribes and wildlife. In 1833, Judge Thomas W. Powell and Columbus W. Kent joined forces to build a health spa near the Spring. The hotel was known as the Mansion House and guests came from all over Ohio to enjoy the health giving waters. In the economic downturn of 1837, the hotel was no longer financially viable. Judge Powell decided to put it up for sale.

Rev. Adam Poe was appointed to the William Street Methodist Episcopal Church in 1840. At this time, Methodist Episcopal folks in Ohio were beginning to question the wisdom of sending their sons to Augusta College due to its geographic distance and southern location, and the issue of slavery was quickly becoming a bone of contention in the church. The need for a Methodist Episcopal college in the state of Ohio became more and more apparent. Rev. Edward Thomson, president of Norwalk Seminary, wrote an article in the Western Christian Advocate in December of 1841 expressing the immediate need for a Methodist Episcopal college here in the state of Ohio.

Rev. Adam Poe and Rev. Edward Thomson were both members of the North Ohio Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. When Rev. Poe heard that the Mansion House was up for sale, he had an idea. Why not establish a college in this wonderful building beside the Sulphur Spring?

Adam Poe went door to door in Delaware collecting subscriptions (promises of donations) from the local townspeople in order to buy the Mansion House and offer it to the North Ohio and Ohio Conferences as a site for a Methodist Episcopal college. He was able to collect pledges of $9,500 from the citizens of Delaware. It is interesting that the subscribers were of all faiths, not just Methodist Episcopal. Major donors included Benjamin Powers ($500), Otho Hinton ($500), Hosea Williams ($500), Wilder Joy ($300), and Milo D. Pettibone ($500). The purchase price was $10,000. Adam Poe personally borrowed $500 to make up the difference. He and citizen delegations attended the 1841 North Ohio and Ohio Conferences, offering to donate the Mansion House as a site if the Conferences would establish a college there. A delegation was sent by the Ohio Conference to Delaware to assess the suitability of the Mansion House and town of Delaware as a site for a new college. Dr. Charles Elliott, Rev. William P. Strickland, and Rev. Joseph M. Trimble comprised the delegation. Their trip to Delaware has been forever immortalized as the famous buggy ride to 2

Delaware. The group returned to the Ohio Conference raving about the location. Dr. Charles Elliott was a vocal and enthusiastic supporter. Both Conferences approved the plan and a college was born.

It is interesting to note the denominational affiliations of the subscribers. Many of the donors were members of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church – James Aigin, Hiram G. Andrews, Charles C. Chamberlain, Thomas W. Cox, Sherman Finch, David T. Fuller, Ezra Griswold, Jr., William D. Heim, Chauncey Hills, Picton D. Hillyer, Otho Hinton, Caleb Howard, Robert Jamison, William Johnson, Thomas C. Jones, Alexander Kilbourn, Reuben A. Lamb, Sylvester Latimer, William Little, William Mansur, Forrest Meeker, William Owston, Hector H. Pettibone, Milo D. Pettibone, Thomas Pettibone, Charles H. Pickett, Benjamin Powers, Samuel Rheem, George W. Sharp, Anthony Walker, Hosea Williams, and Nathan Williams.

Members of the William Street Methodist Episcopal Church who subscribed included Nathan Chester, Wilder Joy, E.W. Littell, Emory Moore, John Ross, Augustus A. Welch, Franklin Spaulding, Benjamin F. Allen, Matthias Kinsell and Abraham Williams.

Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Rev. Henry Van Deman, contributed $100. Clearly, the impetus to raise money to purchase the Mansion House for use as a college was ecumenical.

A Preparatory School began operation almost immediately with Rev. Solomon Howard as principal. The college received its official charter as Ohio Wesleyan University from the state legislature on March 7, 1842 and collegiate classes began on November 13, 1844, now known as Founder’s Day. The first collegiate faculty was appointed by the OWU Trustees at its meeting on September 25, 1844. Rev. Edward Thomson was elected President. Rev. Herman M. Johnson was appointed Professor of Ancient Languages. Rev. Solomon Howard was appointed Professor of Mathematics. William G. Williams was appointed Principal of the Preparatory Department. Enoch Dial was appointed Assistant in the Preparatory Department.

The early presidents of OWU were Methodist Episcopal clergymen—Rev. Edward Thomson (1846-1860), Rev. Frederick Merrick (1860-1873), Rev. Charles Henry Payne (1876-1888), Rev. James Bashford (1889-1904). Later OWU presidents were also Methodist Episcopal clergymen – Rev. Herbert Welch (1905-1916), Rev. John Hoffman (1916-1928), Rev. Edmund Soper (1928- 1938), and Rev. Herbert John Burgstahler (1939-1947). Many of the early faculty members were Methodist Episcopal clergymen as well—Lorenzo Dow McCabe, William W. Whitlock, William Davies, William G. Williams, Hiram Perkins, and Richard Parsons. The first financial agents for the college were also Methodist Episcopal clergymen – Uriah Heath and Samuel Lynch. Each Methodist Episcopal conference—Ohio, North Ohio, Delaware, Cincinnati, East Ohio—appointed clergymen to serve annually as visitors and examiners prior to commencement. These representatives reported back to the conferences about the progress of the college. Faculty and financial agents were actually listed along with other clergy in conference journals as serving “appointments” as professors and financial agents at Ohio Wesleyan University.

After the founding of the college, collection of subscriptions continued among both the Delaware townspeople and the members of Methodist Episcopal churches around the state. Agents travelled on horseback collecting pledges and gifts in kind (land, books, furniture) from faithful Methodist Episcopal parishioners. These pledges were recorded in ledger Subscription Books. Another innovative method of building up the college’s endowment involved the sale of “Cheap Scholarships”. 3

The first Ohio Wesleyan commencement was held at the William Street Methodist Episcopal Church in 1845. The first and only graduate was William Godman, a brilliant student from Marion, Ohio. Godman went on to become a Methodist Episcopal clergyman. Thankfully, Rev. Godman recorded his memories of the early days of the college and we are able to learn a great deal by reading Recollections of William Godman . The early Faculty Minutes of the OWU have been preserved and we learn that William, like many of his peers, committed an infraction in downtown Delaware that required going before the Faculty.

The Ohio Wesleyan Female College was established in April of 1853, purportedly initiated by Delaware citizen Dr. Ralph Hills. The impetus to open this college for young women definitely came from the townspeople of Delaware. The home of the late William Little was purchased as the first location, and once again, subscriptions were successfully sought from townspeople. The North Ohio Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church made the OWFC an official conference institution. Later, the Central Ohio and Ohio Conferences shared in the governance of the school. Many of the trustees of the OWFC were Delaware townspeople.

OWU’s first president, Edward Thomson, was deeply loved by students, faculty, and townspeople. When he died on March 22, 1870, it wasn’t just OWU folks that went into mourning. The entire town felt the grief and loss, as attested by this entry in an article printed in the Northwestern Christian Advocate:

We cannot describe, and the reader will not be apt to overestimate, the feeling of subdued grief that pervaded the entire town. Almost all faces bore its traces, and all streets seemed but apartments in the great house of lamentation. The county court adjourned, business was unanimously suspended, flags were at half mast, and the university buildings were draped in mourning.

During the 19 th century, the presidents and faculty of Ohio Wesleyan made significant contributions to the town of Delaware. Professor W.O. Semans was elected mayor of Delaware in 1874 on the Temperance ticket. Professor William G. Williams served as a member of the Delaware School Board and wrote a history of the public schools. President Frederick Merrick served on a committee to suggest ways of making City Park more attractive in 1865, and was instrumental at a far later date in the founding of Faith Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church. Five OWU presidents were active church members at St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church – Edward Thomson, Frederick Merrick, James W. Bashford, Herbert Welch, and John Hoffman. These are just a few examples.

Many OWU graduates chose to stay in Delaware following graduation, and were tremendously important to the life of the town. Tullius Clinton O’Kane graduated from OWU in 1852. He worked as a mathematics tutor at OWU for 5 years and then moved to Cincinnati. In 1867, T.C. returned to Delaware. He and L.S. Wells (another OWU graduate) operated the T.C. O’Kane and Wells book and stationery store downtown. His major claim to fame was the compilation of Sunday School singing books that were used across the nation. He was a member of the William Street Methodist Episcopal Church and served as its choir director at one point. This one person embodies all three aspects of our interrelated history – Delaware, Methodism, and Ohio Wesleyan University!

Other important graduates who stayed in Delaware include: 4

Lewis Miller Albright (OWU 1861), MEC pastor and presiding elder Samuel Spencer Blair (OWU 1898), president of the Sunray Stove Co. Homer McKendree Carper (OWU 1848), attorney Daniel E. Cowgill (OWU 1884), superintendent of schools Mabel Cratty (OWU 1890), teacher and high school principal Leander Jerome Critchfield (OWU 1849), attorney Louis Bascom Denison (OWU 1873), county surveyor and civil engineer Henry James Eaton (OWU 1849), attorney Benjamin Franklin Freshwater (OWU 1877), probate judge and attorney John Henry Grove (OWU 1870), school examiner for county Alexander Kent Harmount (OWU 1900), photographer), Reuben Edgar Hills (OWU 1873), wholesale grocer Lycurgus Leonidas Hudson (OWU 1881), head of Business College William Bernard Jones (OWU 1889), attorney and postmaster Frederick Merrick Joy (OWU 1867), attorney Joseph Woods Lindsey (OWU 1858), editor of Delaware Signal James Robert Lytle (OWU 1868), attorney Mary Pickering McVay (OWU 1882), proponent of women’s suffrage Adelaide Munsell (OWU 1867), teacher Maude Irene Myers (OWU 1897), high school principal John Franklin Neff (OWU 1886), banker Robert B. Powers (OWU 1902), banker Sallie Reed (OWU 1887), helped found Delaware Red Cross William Frank Rimer (OWU 1893), school superintendent Mabel Kate Seeds (OWU 1889), teacher Edward Merrick Semans (OWU 1886), physician William Merrick Semans (OWU 1883), physician Francis Merrick Starr (OWU 1885), druggist Moses L. Starr (OWU 1852), druggist Horace Alfred Stokes (OWU 1887), school superintendent John D. Van Deman (OWU 1851), 3 term mayor Joseph Henry Van Deman (OWU 1849), physician Leonidas Summerfield Wells (OWU 1868), bookseller

The interdependence of the town, Methodist Episcopal churches, and Ohio Wesleyan was very apparent in the use of building spaces during the 19 th century. The first two OWU graduation ceremonies were actually held at the William Street Methodist Episcopal Church. OWU chapel services were held at St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church prior to the building of Gray Chapel. OWU events were held at the City Hall Opera House for years prior to the building of Gray Chapel. Once Gray Chapel was erected, many town events were held in the new space, including high school graduations. OWU lecturers and performing artists also presented programs at the Methodist Episcopal churches in town.

During the 19 th and early 20 th centuries, many OWU students served as student pastors at local Methodist Episcopal churches. Many local townspeople operated boarding houses, providing both living space and TLC to OWU students. Downtown businesses marketed heavily to OWU students in the college newspaper, The Transcript , and the college yearbook, Le Bijou . 5

President Edward Thomson, President Frederick Merrick, and President James Whitford Bashford are all buried in Delaware’s Oak Grove Cemetery, as are many early faculty members, including William G. Williams and Lorenzo Dow McCabe, Richard Parsons, John Henry Grove, William F. Whitlock, John P. Lacroix, William O. Semans, Hiram M. Perkins, Edward T. Nelson, Cyrus B. Austin, William W. Davies, Richard Taylor Stevenson, and William G. Hormell.

The relationship between the town, OWU, and the Methodist Episcopal churches in the 19 th century was not a perfect one. There were disagreements and points of contention along the way, but the three entities were made stronger by their ties to each other, and overall the “town-gown” relationship was a win-win for all concerned.

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