Denison University - Adytum Yearbook (Granville, OH)

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DENISON had its beginnings when the Granville Literary and Theological Insti- tution, so named in its first charter, opened its doors on December 13, 1831, occupying temporarily the old Baptist Church, which stood on the present site of the Conservatory of Music. The first president, John Pratt, who was also the faculty and administration combined, was a grad- I Denison ' s „ • u i, - • ' Beginnings Brown university. He was preaching in Connecticut when he was called to take charge , i , of the new Baptist college at Granville. ' !: ' His first class, consisting of three boys, was seated on benches ,4| j made of rough slabs obtained at the sawmill. The faculty was L JHH increased to three professors by the addition of George Cole, also K MMm Brown, and Paschal Carter, from Vermont. mmJmm KM when the College, soon after its founding, removed to the ■f mi™ college farm — now the site of a fine estate on the pl t rl Sent nd Bavn Columbus road— its first sessions were held in a barn which had been used as a dancehall, and was maintained as such by one of the six distilleries in the township. The college nearly ran aground upon the shoals of debt several times. More than one meeting of the trustees was prolonged far into the night to devise ways and means of meeting the current bills. By the time of the Great Baptist Conven- ardships situation of the college seemed critical. Inaccessability was the worst feature. Leaders in the denomination began to ask whether it would not be wise to move the college to a better known town— for instance, Lebanon. Just at this juncture several of the buildings were destroyed by fire, so that the time seemed ripe for the suggested change. Even then many believed Granville as the right location. Among them was Jeremiah Hall, an instructor in the institution, who set out to raise the necessary W funds to guarantee the college ' s remaining in or near Granville, f For his efforts he was rewarded with the presidency and was given | instructions to proceed with the endowment campaign. Hall set out on a tour of Ohio, and succeeded in gathering fifty thousand dollars from the Baptist churches and individual members throughout the state. With this money the Denisore ' trustees purchased the present site on the hill north of the village. Since 1845 the name of the insti- tution had been Granville College — a name which still applies siZZfrJdfnt to the men ' s department of the University. The Trustees, however, had a standing offer to name the institution for anyone who would contribute ten thousand dollars to its endowment. This condition was finally met in 1854, when William S. Denison, of Adamsville, promised that sum toward the purchase of a new site. The catalog of that year bears the title of Denison University. [ 19] in