Missouri State University - Ozarko Yearbook (Springfield, MO)

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Historical Roots Of SMSU Dr. Duane G. Meyer There were many forces at work between the years 1894 and 1907 which led to the establishment of the Fourth District Normal School of Springfield. Those forces were ultimately successful in securing passage of enabling legislation in 1905 and the be- ginning of construction of new facilities two years later. Governor Joseph W. Polk spoke for over an hour to an estimated crowd of 20,000 people when the cornerstone of Academic Hall Know Carrington Halll was laid. It was August 10, 1907. Folk ex- tolled the virtue of education to the people of Southwest Missou- ri. Academic Hall was the first structure erected on the new 38- acre campus donated to the State for the school. The new Car- thage-stone building was praised for its handsome archi- tecture and described as being modern as science can pro- vide. Let us now look at several of the forces which led to the establishment of the School. The most important factor, and the first one to be noted here, was the idealism rampant at the turn of the century. Southwest Missouri was no longer a fron- tier area. There was a national reform movement sweeping across the country out of the rev- elations of the Muckrakers and fed by reforming politi- cians. These political leaders were directing an ideological crusade which focused on the need for education - particular- ly teacher education -- and gov- ernmental regulation in order to reform corrupt institutions and policies. This movement - usu- ally known as the Progressive Movement - had many adher- ents in Missouri, but Joseph Folk was the acknowledged lead- er. Folk had been a crusading prosecuting attorney in St. Louis before being elected Govenor. In 1905 the General Assembly had agreed to Governor Folk's re- quest for the establishment of two new normal schools in Mis- souri at Springfield and Mary- ville. These new schools were part of the Progressive thrust in Missouri to reform and improve society through the encourage- ment of teacher education and public elementary and secon- dary education. A secondary factor behind the establishment of the new school at Springfield was the real edu- cational need of the rural people of this portion of the state. Southwest Missouri was over- whelmingly rural in character. Only six cities had over 5,000 population in 1900. They were as follows: Joplin 26,0237 Springfield 23,267p Carthage 9,426p Webb City 9,201p Nevada 7,461p and Aurora 6,191. Farmers had small acreages and carried on a diversified agriculture which included some corn pro- duction, oats production, wheat production, as well as the raising of livestock and the cultivation of large gardens. There were a few specialized farms which concentrated on the production of apples, peaches, and strawber- ries. Mining was still an impor- tant activity. Railroads had been in the area for thirty years. It is interesting to note that the first private automobile did not reach Springfield until 1905, the year the normal school was autho- rized. Southwest Missouri was a rural area with a population that was demanding greater educa- tional opportunities. A third force in the establish- ment of the new normal school was the apparent need for a re- placement for an existing pro- prietary normal school in Springfield. Drury College had been established thirty years earlier as a private liberal arts school. However, the school that had the closest relationship with the new State Normal School was the Springfield Normal and Business College, which was a proprietary institution. This school, commonly called Spring- field Normal, was established in 1894 and was operated in a building' located at Pickwick and Cherry by Professor I.A. Taylor.

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Homecoming parade - float division 1960's One of the SMS theater productions Scabbard and Blade Blood Drive

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The birth of the new State Nor- mal occurred at the same time as the demise of Springfield Nor- mal. The first classes of State Normal were held in the Spring- field Normal building. President Taylor joined the staff of State Normal for a time and acted as .iv business manager. He brought with him five teachers from Springfield Normal, who re- mained as faculty members at State Normal. An examination of the catalogue of Springfield Normal reveals that the institu- tion offered a Bachelor of Peda- gogy degree for two years of study. The tuition charges for a 12-week term were 512. There were many graduates of Spring- field Normal who went on to significant careers in education and in business. A fourth factor leading to the es- tablishment of the Fourth Dis- trict Normal School was the strategic location and attractive- ness of the City of Springfield. Laura Ingalls Wilder has given us one description of the city. She passed through Springfield in 1894 on the way to settle at Mansfield. She describes the stop which the family made at Ash Grove for the evening and remembered that they had pur- chased a delicious 20-pound wa- termelon for only five cents. In her book, On the Way Home she says this about Springfield: Left camp at 6:28. Good road from Ash Grove all the way to Springfield, not hilly nor very stony. This is the Ozark plateau and the country looks much like prairie country though there are groves and timber always along the streams. Arrived in Springfield at 9:25. It is a thriving city with fine houses and four business blocks stand around a town square. The stores are well stocked and busy. Manly hitched the horses and we bought shoes for Rose and myself, a calico dress for me, and a new hat for Manly. It did not take much time and we drove right along through the city. We were out of it before noon. It'has 21,850 inhabitants, and is the ni- cest city we have seen yet. It is simply grand. We could see two straight miles down Walnut street, a very little down grade, with large shade trees on each side, large hand- some residences, and the pave- ment as smooth and clean as can be. n When the state government an- nounced that a normal school would be located in Southwest Missouri, there were several ap- plications. Webb City, Aurora, and Marshfield made concerted efforts to have the school located in their community. However, the state board which was given the responsibility for making the decision voted unanimously that the new school should be located in Springfield, which be- cause of its size and its location would be a good home for the institution. SMS emerged out of the ferment at the turn of the century. Its roots are to be found in the Pro- gressive Movement which ele- vated education as the best pro- cess for improving society. The School was designed to serve a largely rural population. The School appeared as a replace- ment for a proprietary normal and business school which did not meet the needs of the time. The pleasant, little city of Springfield was a fitting com- munity strategically located to serve the young men and women of the southwestern part of the state. I have mentioned several forces that were at work during this pe- riod. There was an additional force at work which had its im- pact upon the students of the time. I refer to inflation. In 1894, a student at Springfield Normal was charged a sum of 51.75 total for being served three meals a day and seven days a week. When the new State Normal opened in the fall of 1906, the cost of board for a week had ri- sen to 52.25.