West Virginia Wesleyan College - Murmurmontis Yearbook (Buckhannon, WV)

Page 32 text:

History of the Seminary. THE educational institution at Buckhannon, maintained by West Virginia Conference ,of the Methodist Episcopal Church, is one of the finest educational institutions of our state. The Methodist Church has always been a great friend to education, especially in its more popular forms. The Methodist Episcopal Church alone is at present con- ducting 166 schools with about 3,000 teachers and 47,000 students of all grades. In Western Virginia many years ago the Methodists supported an academy at Clarksburg. The unhappy misunderstanding and division of 1844 proved fatal to this school and for over forty years the Methodists of the state were without a school of their own. After the Civil War was over and the new state firmly established American Methodism cele- brated its centennial in 1866. At this time much work for education was done in the country and West Virginia Methodists began the effort for a school which never entirely ceased until after years of waiting it it was rewarded with great success. In 1876 Buckhannon presented to a committee of the West Virginia Conference a subscription of $6,750 for the location of a seminary in the town, but the conference did not accept the offer then. In 1883 the conference appointed a committee on the centennial observance of the formal organization in 1784 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. This committee recommended the establishment of a seminary as an import- ant object for the gifts of the people. In 1884 the conference was held at Buckhannon, and it appointed a Board of Trustees for the proposed seminary. This consisted of A. J. Lyda, Chairman ; L. L. Stewart, Secre- tary ; D. H. K. Dix, Treasurer; T. B. Hughes and Samuel Steele. This board received contributions during the year and in 1885, the conference elected a board of eight ministers and eight laymen whose duty it was to receive proposals for the erection and endowment of a seminary, the conference to decide where it should be located. The ministers were A. J. Lyda, L. H. Jordan, J. A. Fullerton, Samuel Steele, E. H. Orwen, L. L. Stewart, H. J. Boatman, and A. B. Rohrbough. The laymen were H. C. McWhorter, H. K. List, J. C. McGrew, A. M. 24

Page 31 text:

EVA E. BROYLES. JULIA A. BENDER.

Page 33 text:

Poundstone, B. F. Martin, Samuel Woods, Henry Logan and Nathan Goff. Judge McWhorter and Capt. Poundstone are still on the Board of Trustees. In 1886, death removed Dr. Samuel Steele and Hon. Nathan Goff. Rev. J. W. Reger, D. D., was chosen in place of Dr. Steele, and his name is very closely connected with the whole history of the seminary. In place of Mr. Goff, John A. Barnes was chosen, and he is still on the board. Various places in the state were desirous of securing the location of the seminary with them. Parkersburg and Elizabeth may be mentioned among these. On July 13, 1887, the trustees met at Philippi to decide upon the place and the vote was in favor of Buckhannon. Two days later the trustees proceeded to Buckhannon to select a site but did not succeed. On August 29, they met again and purchased a tract of a little over forty-three acres for $5,551.87. In October 1887, the conference met at Parkersburg and these proceedings were ratified. The trustees were also directed to proceed with the erection of buildings. The main building was finally completed during the summer of 1890, and on September 3 of that year the school was opened. A month later, the conference, which was in session at Weston, came in a body to Buck- hannon, and the building was dedicated by Bishop Cyrus D. Fouss. From the opening to the present the school has moved forward in a career of unbroken prosperity. The first president of the institution was Rev. B. W. Hutchinson, A. M., B. D. Mr. Hutchinson was a nati ve of Pennsylvania. He graduated at Ohio Wesleyan University and then entered the ' ministry. Later he went north and graduated at the Theological School of Boston University, and from there went into the New England Southern Con- ference. While a pastor in Providence, R. I., he was chosen president of the new institution. Mr. Hutchinson was a man of scholarly instincts, high standards and excellent business qualities, and much of the success of the school is due to his energy and wisdom. Early in 1 898, he resigned to accept a similar position at Lima, N. Y. He has been successful there, and in 1901, he received the degree of D. D. from Syracuse Uni- versity. President Hutchinson began with a faculty of three teachers besides himself. During the first year three more were added. There were seventy pupils enrolled during the first term. During the year 201 dif- ferent students received instruction. Since then every year has had a 25