Ohio Wesleyan University Timeline 1820-2009 1840-1849
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Ohio Wesleyan University Timeline 1820-2009 M D Y EVENT 1820 General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church recommends that Annual Conferences erect "literary institutions" 1840-1849 1841 Rev. Adam Poe suggests that citizens of Delaware purchase Mansion House Hotel (owned by Judge Thomas W. Powell) and offer it to the Ohio and North Ohio Methodist Episcopal conferences for use as a Methodist college; he leads city wide subscription gathering effort to purchase Mansion House; 172 subscriptions, amounting to $9,000 collected from citizens of Delaware. 8 1841 Delegation of Delaware citizens attends North Ohio Methodist Episcopal Conference in Wooster, and Ohio Methodist Episcopal Conference in Urbana with proposal to purchase Mansion House for use as a Methodist Episcopal college 8 26 1841 Dr. Charles Elliott, Rev. William P. Strickland, and Rev. Joseph M. Trimble sent as an Ohio Conference scouting committee to evaluate Mansion House as potential Methodist Episcopal college 8 27 1841 Dr. Charles Elliott gives impassioned endorsement of proposal to establish a Methodist Episcopal college in Delaware to Ohio Conference 9 1 1841 Joint Conference Committee (North Ohio & Ohio Methodist Episcopal) meets and votes to accept Mansion House property as location for Methodist Episcopal college 11 17 1841 Joint Conference Committee (North Ohio & Ohio Methodist Episcopal) meets and receives from Thomas W. Powell a bond for the conveyance of property from citizens of Delaware (10 acres) 1841 Joint Conference Committee (North Ohio & Ohio Methodist Episcopal) immediately hires Captain James D. Cobb as instructor of Preparatory School for term 1841-42; preparatory classes begin in Mansion House 1841 Joint Conference Committee (North Ohio & Ohio Methodist Episcopal) purchases 5 extra acres to south of Mansion House for $5,500 and spends $2,000 to buy Mansion House furniture 3 7 1842 Charter granting university powers granted by State Legislature to 21 corporators (14 lay, 7 clergy) ; Founder's Day. 10 1 1842 Board of Trustees holds first meeting at Hamilton, where Ohio Methodist Episcopal Conference being held; elect Rev. Edward Thomson as President, appoint Rev. Solomon Howard as principal of Preparatory School. 9 25 1844 OWU Board of Trustees organizes faculty and resolves to begin collegiate program; Dr. Edward Thomson appointed President; Rev. Herman M. Johnson appointed Professor of Ancient Languages; Rev. Solomon Howard appointed Professor of Mathematics; William G. Williams appointed Principal of Preparatory Department; Enoch Dial appointed Assistant in Preparatory Department 11 12 1844 First faculty meeting 11 13 1844 Opening day of college; by-laws for government of OWU adopted 1845 First men's literary society forms at OWU -- Zetagathean Society 8 5 1846 President Edward Thomson gives inaugural address at William Street Methodist Episcopal Church 12 22 1846 Small accidental fire in Elliott Hall (new name for Mansion House Hotel) 1846 Allen Missionary Lyceum (forerunner of Y.M.C.A.) forms 1846 Chrestomathean Literary Society forms 1846 First OWU commencement held at William Street Methodist Episcopal Church; William D. Godman is first graduate 8 4 1847 Commencement for second OWU graduate, Robert White McFarland, held at William Street Methodist Episcopal Church 1847 University Convocation begins 1848 Boarding house annexed to Elliot Hall (Mansion House) discontinued Ohio Wesleyan University Timeline 1820-2009 M D Y EVENT 9 24 1849 Faculty suggest idea of "cheap scholarships"; OWU Board of Trustees holds special session in Dayton where Ohio Methodist Episcopal Conference being held to consider the idea; with approval of the Conference, Board adopts the plan 1849 All indebtedness of initial purchase of college paid ($7,000) 1849 OWU Association of Alumni is formed 1849 Scientific course added to curriculum (2 year certificate program "junior college model"; Classical course is a 4 year program ending in A.B. degree) 1850-1859 7 26 1851 Cornerstone laid for Thomson Chapel during commencement week 1851 Athenian Literary Society forms (men's) 4 1853 Ohio Wesleyan Female College (OWFC) is founded under auspices of North Ohio Methodist Episcopal Conference 9 8 1853 Ohio Wesleyan Female College (OWFC) opens for first term under President Oran Faville 1853 Beta Theta Pi fraternity established -- first Greek letter fraternity on campus 6 7 1853 Thomson Chapel dedicated; named in honor of first OWU president, Edward Thomson 1853 William Sturges offers $7,000 for purchase of library books if $15,000 can be raised to erect a new library building 1855 Sigma Chi Fraternity established 10 11 1855 Sturges Hall dedicated; houses library and literary societies 1856 President Edward Thomson travels to Europe to purchase 3,000 books for new Sturges Library 1856 Rev. Park S. Donelson becomes president of Ohio Wesleyan Female College 4 4 1857 Ohio Wesleyan Female College student, Mary Monnett, signs statement agreeing to donate $10,000 for a college building if matching amount can be collected from Delaware citizens 1857 First women's literary society founded at Ohio Wesleyan Female College (OWFC) -- Clionian 1858 South wing of Monnett Hall built (first section to be built) 1859 OWU purchases Cabinet of Natural History from Dr. William Prescott of New Hampshire 1860-1869 1860 Rev. Frederick Merrick becomes president of OWU 1860 Phi Delta Theta fraternity forms 1861 Athenaeum Literary Society forms at Ohio Wesleyan Female College (OWFC) 1861 Phi Kappa Psi fraternity forms 1862 300 OWU students and several faculty leave OWU to serve in Civil War (1862-1865) 1863 Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity chartered at OWU 1864 Kappa Phi Lambda fraternity forms 1864 Marshall Clason, OWU student and founder of Sigma Chi fraternity, is killed while leading his Civil War company in a charge at Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia. 4 10 1865 OWU president Frederick Merrick posts notice about end of Civil War on front door of Thomson Chapel 1865 Amos Dolbear develops telephone receiver in OWU physics lab 11 1866 Student strike at OWU Ohio Wesleyan University Timeline 1820-2009 M D Y EVENT 1866 Centennial of American Methodism brings in funds to OWU; endowment increases by $200,000; improvements made to buildings 1866 Central portion and north wing of OWFC's Monnett Hall completed 1866 Delta Tau Delta fraternity forms at OWU 1866 Meleterian Literary Society founded at OWU for Preparatory men 1867 First OWU newspaper published -- Western Collegian -- first editor was Joseph B. Battelle, class of 1868 (actually called American Student at first) 1867 First yearbook published at OWU -- called College Record aka Souvenir 1867 Hole in the Wall (retaining wall) built in town 1867 Rev. Joseph Creighton "fixes" the "dry" Sulphur Spring by throwing in a bucket of sawdust; establishes arboretum on OWU campus 1868 Groundbreaking for "Science Hall" (Merrick Hall) 1869 Due to new state law, OWU president becomes ex-officio member of Board of Trustees; 20 remaining members divided into 4 classes of 5 from each Ohio Methodist Episcopal conference and trustee tenureship is reduced to five years 1869 Phi Gamma Delta fraternity forms 1869 The Chain is published as an independent newspaper 1870-1879 1870 $500 raised privately by subscription to improve the Sulphur Spring; appropriation of $1,000 added by city of Delaware 1870 Fire in south wing of Monnett Hall, Ohio Wesleyan Female College (OWFC), damages roof and 4th floor 1870 Fraternities banned from OWU campus by Board of Trustees 1870 Ingham Lectures held at OWU (10 lectures on "Evidences of Natural & Revealed Religion") 3 22 1870 Ex-president Edward Thomson dies; buried at Oak Grove Cemetery 1871 OWU charter altered, giving Association of Alumni representatives on the Board of Trustees equal standing as those from the Methodist Episcopal conferences 1872 Fraternities reinstated at OWU 1872 OWU campus grading and landscaping done by John R. Wright of Cincinnati and Phineas Mast of Springfield; town of Delaware dredges the Run; Sulphur Spring basin improved 1872 President Frederick Merrick resigns presidency of OWU on day fraternities reinstated 6 25 1873 Resolution at OWU Alumni Association meeting by C.A. Van Anda, John W. White, Leroy Belt, and Wesley G. Waters -- the time for union of OWU and Ohio Wesleyan Female College (OWFC) has come 1873 Chi Phi fraternity forms 1873 Collegian becomes joint OWU-OWFC newspaper 1873 Merrick Science Hall is completed and dedicated 1873 Philomathean Literary Society organized for Preparatory men 1873 Professor Lorenzo Dow McCabe serves as acting president of OWU 1873 William Richardson becomes president of Ohio Wesleyan Female College (OWFC) 1874 OWU newspaper changes name to College Transcript 6 1875 OWU trustees go on record against union of OWU and OWFC Ohio Wesleyan University Timeline 1820-2009 M D Y EVENT 1875 OWU School of Music founded 1875 OWU students organize first football team; faculty objects; football discontinued as competitive sport for 15 years 6 27 1876 Trustees of Ohio Wesleyan Female College (OWFC) propose to OWU trustees that united action on unification be presented to Methodist Episcopal conferences 1876 Charles Payne becomes president of OWU; inaugurated June 29, 1876 1876 Marching band makes brief debut at OWU 1876 OWU yearbook with name Le Bijou (Jewel) first published 6 1877 Union of OWU & Ohio Wesleyan Female College (OWFC) -- final action by Board of Trustees 1877 Three female instructors from Ohio Wesleyan Female College (OWFC) become first female faculty members of OWU 1878 School