Denison University - Adytum Yearbook (Granville, OH)

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Rival Girls ' Schools Official. % ! 1 1 1 1 1 c » i 1 1 C! 1 t While the Bap- tists were spon- soring the Col- lege on the Hill, down in the village there were two rival girls ' schools: The Young Ladies ' Institution, or Upper Sem, and the Granville Female Academy, or Lower Sem. Both were later absorbed by the university. The upper sem was housed on the present Shepardson campus where one of the original buildings still remains. This building stands today as the oldest building erected west of the Alleghenies for the education of women. The lower The Formation of the University the eastern part of the village on the site which is now occupied by the Granville Inn. This school was first man- aged by the Presbyterians. Later, when for a period Gran- ville became an important Episcopal center, that denomi- nation took over the Gran- ville Female Academy. It was finally sold to the Baptists and incorporated later (1860) with Shepardson College. In 1900 Shepardson College and Granville College and the Doane Academy were incorporated as Denison University. In the period following the Civil War the institution grew more rapidly. The endowment fund was doubled, reaching the sum of one hundred thousand dollars and several buildings were added to the equipment. The curricu- lum was extended, and the fac- ulty and students increased in number. In 1879, the late Dr. W. Howard Doane presented Doane Hall, now used for the University Library. This building is the oldest academic tiflll on fhf- pamniis Left— Shepardson College at the time of the Civil War; Right— Gr Ildll UIl llie LdllipUb. College in the period immediately following the Civd War. uiarv: Upper Ru ht — Episcopal Granville Baptist College; Post Civil War Development [20]

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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

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i f anrf Center, respectively — C ai,t zw ifn a proud father received a lovi new-born son, a custon of ' 69 and f cup from . notv fallc t , , , , In 1894 Barney Added Buildings Science Hall and Doane Academy- were added. The former burned in 1906, and was later replaced by a fireproof build- ing. Cleveland Hall was built in 1904, a gift of certain Cleveland benefactors. Beaver Beaver Field was provided in 1902 by Mr. F. P. Beaver, a member Field of the board of trustees. It was one of the first to be acquired by an Ohio college. During recent years the campus has been vast- ly extended so that it now includes than hun- dred and fifty acres. Col- lege buildings now cover the entire hill with its seven hilltops, and the Campus Extension more three athletic The about a about a ■ .. m after the construction of Marsh Hall, hy the American Commoiis Chib. Deeds stadium field and layout. property extends mile north of Broadway, Granville, and the main hilltop is itself a crescent mile in length. Much of this land has been secured through gifts of Col. Edward A. Deeds, of Dayton. The same donor made possible the completion o f Deeds Stadium and training quarters which constitute one of the most beautiful and com- plete athletic plants in the state. The stadium was turned over to the university in the fall of 1922, and an additional baseball diamond is in a state of development at present. Dr. Ambrose Swasey, of ' ' ' a7.«r.A; ' ' .f o .?. ' ' X ' ? ' ' ' ' ' Cleveland, has been one of the [21]