Monmouth College - Ravelings Yearbook (Monmouth, IL)

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Monmouth College. pjHILE Monmouth Wis yet a village and five years beforethe United Presbyterian Denomination war- formed. Rev. J. C. Porter, then pastor of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian at Cedar Creek; stopped at the court house in Monmouth on his way to a meeting of presbytery, at Clayton. While at the court house he stated that Presbytery would very likely consider the question of an academy, to be located in this part of the country, and that if Monmouth wanted such a school, she should offer some inducement. A subscription sheet was started at once and within two or three hours $1,150 were subscribed for the proposed acad.my. Presbytery considered Monmouth ' s proposition favorably, and thus began Monmouth College. The academy opened the first Monday of November 1853, with Rev. J, R. Brown as principal and twenty-one students enrolled, A few months later it was combined with a school held by Prof Jenks in the basement of the Presbyterian church. The academy grew with the town and within two years the propositicn was considered to raise it to the rank of a college, and September 3, 1856 found the school no longer an academy but a CDllege, with Rev. David A. Wallace of Boston, Mass., as it ' s President. The inaugural exercises of our first President were conducted in Brown ' s Grove which became the scene of many such great college exercises. The next college building was completed in November of 1856, and for twenty years was used for regular college work Later it served in the capacity of a factory for the Maple City Soap Works. In I860 Messrs. A. Y. and David Graham donated the greater part of the present campus amounting to ten acres, together with twenty-five acres in lots. With the money realized from the sale of these lots, a building fund was started, and June 24, 1863 a part of the present building was ready for occupancy. It was then 54 by 80 feet, four stories high containing fifteen rooms. The structure was made of brick, which were burned on the grounds. With the growth of the institution, the accommodations proved too cramped and ten years later an addition 54 by 63 feet was built making the present college building, consisting of twenty-four rooms, besides basement, and representing donations amounting to $32,500, The College campus is one of the beautiful spots in Monmouth, although as yet it has not received the touch of the landscape gardener. Its rustic beauty is an inspiration. Standing on the South East corner of the campus, facing BroadA ay, is the house built in 1885 to be used as a home for the President In 1897 a large brick auditorium, with a seating capacity of some 800. was built on the South West corner. Directly behind the auditorium is the college gymnasium erected in 1900. Thus has the institution grown in 50 years, from an academy occupying eight rooms m all. to a college with four large and well equipped buildings on a campus of about fifteen acres. Whatever may be the advantage in equipment of buildings, no school can prosper, without an able faculty and with such a one Monmouth College is certainly blessed. From a faculty of three, fifty years ago; consisting of Dr. Walllace, President; P ev. J. C. Brown, Professor of languages and Kev. Marion Morrison professor of mathmetics; the faculty has nc grown to twenty-three professors and instructors. Since the founding of the institution 1 15 professors and instructors have been employed, seventy of these have come from cur o vn United Presbyterian denomination, forty-four from among the alumni of the college. Of these Dr. S. P . Lyons, of the class cf ' 77 has served a term as president, and Dr. T. H. McMichael of the class of ' 86 now serving the college in that capacity.