Delaware, Methodism, and Ohio Wesleyan University
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Our Shared History: Delaware, Methodism, and Ohio Wesleyan University The histories of the city of Delaware, the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Ohio Wesleyan University 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 Detroit) 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. 1 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.