Illinois State Normal University - Index Yearbook (Normal, IL)

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John W. Cook, President

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The lndex. I3 swamp landsf' and citizens gave about as much more, thus making Bloomingtons otter exceed that of Peoria's about StlO.HUlfl The corner-stone of the building was laid September ffl, 1HTiT. with appropriate ceremonies, presided over by the late Hon. A. .l. Merriman. lVhat is now the beautiful campus, was then a corn tield, with neither tree nor shrub. In this book we present a cut of the university and grounds as they appeared in ltloll. The hard times ot IHST caused Work upon the building to be suspended for about eighteen months. so that it was not entirely completed until 1HtS1. The actual work of the school began on the Sth of October. IHBT. in Majors Hall in Bloomington. Here Charles E. Hovey. principal. and lra Moore, assistant. with twenty- nine pupils in attendance, began the lirst work in the Illinois State Normal University. At the close of the third year the tirst class. consisting of six young men and tour young Women, had their graduating exercises in the assembly room ot the present building- Supt. Gastman, of Decatur. gave the tirst commencement speech. ln three years time the school had outgrown its temporary quarters. and as the new building was completed sutiiciently to be occupied, the whole school was removed to its present quarters in Sep- tember, 18641. The civil War. beginning IHIS1. drew from the university Mr. Hovey. the principal, all of the instructors but two, together with most of the young men. Perkins Bass was made temporary principal, and began the fall term with about eighty students. nearly all ladies. In June. 1Hl32, Dr. Richard Edwards was made principal, and held the otlice until 1876, when he resigned. The Board of Education in 15466 voted to change the title of the head of the school from principal to president. Dr. Richard Edwards was succeeded by Dr. Edwin C. Hewett, who had been an instructor in the school since IHSH. After four- teen and one-half years of judicious management. Dr. Hewett resigned and was succeeded in June, 1890, by President John W. Cook.

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The lndex. I5 Lack of space compels us to speak briefly and only in a general way about the various changes that have been made during the past years. The tirst noteworthy change in the Normal was the removing of the old desks and replacing them with new ones. In 1989 the steam boilers were 'removed from the basement and placed in the Engine House which had been constructed for that purpose. For a number of years a need of more room was greatly felt. The attendance had been so large that the old building was more than crowded. Model school classes were taught in gloomy rooms of the basement. in corners. under stairways-anywhere. Through the energetic eiforts of President Cook and others, the legislature of IHHI ap- propriated iiiltitilitl for a training school building. This was begun in the tall of IHEPI. and completed for occupancy at the beginning of the spring term following. During the summer of ,lH5l2 the old building underwent a siege of much needed re- pair. and during the fall term the kerosene lamps were replaced by electric lights. The library tirst occupied the narrow hall west of the assembly room: each society had a library in its own hall: later all the books were shelved in a single room on the first floor, but now two large. commodious. well lighted rooms are set apart for library purposes. By reference to another article in this book Qpage ei it will be seen that there is in process of erection a beautiful building which shall contain the library. the museum. and the gymnasium. During the summer and fall of lfiiifi the heating system of the main building was changed at an expense of i?T.UliU. The creaking steam pipes were removed and the build- ing is now heated by the Studyyant Fan system. The popularity of the school is evidenced by the steady increase in attendance, the last annual enrollment being 1,372 different students. The high school department,which afforded an excellent opportunity to prepare tor college was discontinued in June, 1894.