Illinois State Normal University - Index Yearbook (Normal, IL)

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6 C r. ? r v e Charles E. HoM.-y. first ISNU prt-sidcnt, was assisted by two other facidty members on lUi- nois Normal ' s opening day, October 5, 1857. He resigned the presidency in 1862 to lead the Normal Rifles in the Civil War, at which time he was promoted to brigadier-general. Charles E. Hovey — The first president of Illinois Normal University, the first president of the State Teachers Institute, and the first editor of The Illinois Journal — these distinctions delineate the personality of Charles Edward Hovey. Born in Tlietford, Vermont, in 1827, the young school- master was a product of Dartmouth College and once toyed with the idea of becoming a lawyer. The task of not only setting ISNU ' s machinery in mo- tion but of also perpetuating its ideals fell upon Presi- dent Hovey. A holiday spirit prevailed during the cornerstone lay- ing of the main building in North Bloomington on September 29, 1857. Copies of the school charter, sub- scription lists, daily newspapers, and the Declaration of Independence were placed in the memorial block b attending dignitaries. Meanwhile, the first university classes began on October 5, in Major ' s Hall, East Front Street, Blooming- ton. Nineteen pupils registered the first day, with the enrollment totaling 127 students by the close of the academic year. Successful as Normal was in its chief purpose of teacher preparation, it could not prosper financially. Top heavy with debt created by the Panic of 1857 and the imminent Civil War, community pledges for the new building were not fulfilled. As a result, actual ' ork on Major s Hall Major ' s Hall, birthplace of ISNU, still stands at the corner of Front and East Street. It was here that Lincoln delivered his famous Lost Speech and that nineteen students enrolled for the new school ' s first session on the third floor of the building. 10

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m m m m Ki m N and tomorrow We walked, the morning sun beneath, Glad wand ' ring side by side Our hopes entwined, a pleasant wreath Bright friendship ' s smile our guide. With heart and hand united sped United still in heart, We now toward separate pathways led. Perchance forever part. With this hymn the newly established Illinois Normal University, North Bloomington, Illinois, concluded its first commencement program on a warm June afternoon in 1860. Amidst a throng of educators, dignitaries, and townspeople, ten three-year graduates received diplomas from Samuel Moulton, President of the Board. The establishment of the Illinois Normal University marked the crowning achievement of an expansive decade in American educa- tion. Actual work on the project began in 1834 when IlHnois Senator William H. Gatewood introduced to the state legislature a plan for county teacher seminaries. The bill was vetoed. Along with the adoption of legislation for free com- mon schools, the 1855 Gen- eral Assembly created the office of State Superintend- ent of Public Instruction. In that same year, Charles E. Hovey was elected presi- dent of the State Teachers Institute and editor of its official organ, The Illinois Teacher. Two factors, however, hampered rapid prog- ress of the normal idea. Advocates of an Agri- cultural University would not compromise with those desiring industri al and normal education in the proposed school. Both factions built their Jesse Fell, father of ISNU, was the leading crusader in the heated battle to locate die Nomial School in Bloom- ington. hopes on partaking of the special seminary fvmds and federal land grants set aside for extending formal learning. On February 18, 1857, Governor William H. Bissell signed a bill creating the Illinois Normal University; the bill also provided for a fifteen- member State Board of Education and generous endowments from the college and seminar)- funds. The institute was named Normal Univer- sity instead of Normal College in order to utilize the seminary funds set aside specifically for universities; also, it was the original plan to add other departments to the school. Jesse E. Fell was the outstanding crusader in the fight to situate the normal school in Bloom- ington, the heart of Illinois rich Corn Belt. Coupling sheer determination with un- relenting faith, the resident farmer campaigned for and won the mid-state nomina- tion for the school ' s site. The communities of Peoria, Washington, and Batavia were chief competitors. Pledges of acreage, stock, money, and town lots do- nated by McLean County residents surpassed all other town bids; thus, a knoll in North Bloomington at the junction of the Illinois Cen- tral and Chicago and Alton Railroad fine became the proposed spot for the first state-supported teachers ' col- lege in the Mississippi ' al- ley. Abraham Lincoln, attorney of the State Board, drew up the financial papers for the main build- ing to be located on the 56-acre lot donated by Meshack Pike, and construction commenced on the school that is now among the foremost teacher-training institutions in the United States. ■Nf f f LS H H 5 L mmmmmmmm ,. rvY- -r-«yvM

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A light to others r r 1857 the structure was suspended from Septembei until the summer of 1859. In an effort to quiet rumors of relocating the univer- sity, Principal Hovey began underwriting the debts incurred by the building. His buying of federal swamp lands created confidence on the part of land speculators, whose cash purchases enabled work on the structure to resume and eventually be completed in 1861. The 1860 June commencement exercises opened the nearly completed building. Halls for two literary so- cieties, and lecture organizations, the natural history museum, and an art gallery were located on the now- removed fourth floor. During the Civil War, Hovey commanded the Normal Rifles, which later became Company A of the School- masters ' Regiment. He died in 1897, leaving his eternal mark upon the Illinois Normal University. Establishing the curriculum was a major task. Courses such as metaphysics and orthography were listed in the first catalog, published in 1860 with particular emphasis placed on the natural sciences. Social life centered around two literary societies — the Philadelphians and the Wrightonians. Such were the crucial opening days of the Illinois Normal University, that was endowed with a zealous leader and faithful community backing. Lieutenant Joseph G. Howell, a mem- ber of tlie 1860 graduating class, was the first Normal casualty of the Civil War. HoweU was killed at the battle of Pittsburg Landing in February-, 1862. A marble plaque to this hero ' s memory still hangs in Old Main. A magnificent four-story brick structure, complete with dome and silk flag, was tlie only build- ing on the campus at the time this picture was taken in the 1860 ' s. Classes were held on tlie first three floors, while the fourth floor housed the literary societ - hall, the museum, and the art gallery. Old Main 11