Indiana State University - Sycamore Yearbook (Terre Haute, IN)

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block lying between Eagle and Mulbeiiy streets east of Sixth street, tlie campus of the old county seminary. Together with tiiis land wortli $l ' . i.O00. also ii;:)().(.)(lO in money was given. It was later stipulated that Terre Haute should bear forever one-half of the expenses of keep- ing the grounds and buildings in proper re- pair. This has been faithfully carried out. Thu- it was that on the banks of the Wabash, in the city of Terre Haute, in the very heart of the town, was established an institution the thrill (if whose life was soon to be felt in every taxpayer glai ' ed wi born came into an uu ' was liefore it. -tnig, tion from other iiisii gle to maintain a liig of public disappniva straggle to seciu ' e a] nomic legislature to fiM ■Icome community. There I — struggle for recogni- II ions of learning, strug- -tandard of work in face and Iciw attendance, and ropriatious from an eco- meet the constantly in- creasing expenses. Indeed, it has required the Host stringent economy to conduct the growing Highness and elH.-ieiicy upini the fun. Is pro- OLD COUNTY SEMINARY. 1868 hamlet, city anil town in the most remote dis- tricts of our fair state. Strange to say, the new school was not re- ceived with open arms. Tradition still holds us in its mighty grasp, despite our boasted in- telligence, we are loath to leave the old and are prone to glance askance at tlu ' new. The old jjedagogue frowned u[)on it as foolishness, the vided from year to year l)y our general assembly. Tile building, when completed, cost in round numbers, without any semblance of equipment, l it.OOO. It was buiit of brick with stone trim- ming, after the architectural style of the French Kennaissance. From the roof a symmetrical series of towers, cupolas and spires lifted their

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Jlisitorp of Snbiana tate Jgormal cijool ' ' I HE roli ' gation of pi-rsons unfit for other - ' - positions in life to teaching school seems to have liecn a distinct factor of the economic system in the early history of Indiana. That it was costly needs no comment. That the defect might be remedied the I. S. N. arose. The first step was made toward this end in 1855 when Dr. E. T. Spotswood, now an honored citizen of Terre Haute, then from Spencer County, in- troduced into the General Assembly the follow- ing resolution : Resolved, That the Committee on Education be instructed ti imiuire into the expediency of establishing a State Normal School, in which persons who design making teaching a profes- sion shall receive instruction free of charge. Provided, they bind themselves to teach for a specified term of years within the State of In- diana, and also if deemed expedient to estab- lish such school, whether it would be practica- WILL D. ANDERSON History of Indiana State Normal School ' ble to establish it on the manual labor plan, so as to make it a self-supporting institution as nearly as possible, with leave to report by bill or otherwise. Other prolilems involving strenuous action claimed public attention at that time and noth- ing came of this first move. The project was forgotten in the turmoil and discord of the civil war, but a step had l)cen made, and the situa- tion unchanged. In the decade of lawlessness and adventure following the rebellion a new day dawned for education in Indiana. A bill was introduced by Judge B. E. Rhoades, passed and signed by the governor December 20, 1865, creating a Nor- mal School. This law provided a portion of the requisite funds for the construction of suit- alile buildings and the amount of $5,000 an- nually for a maintenance fund. It made the location of the school the opportunity of that city which oifered the most facilities and prom- ised the greatest co-operation and the largest amount of cash; it defined the admission of students, the granting and bestowing of diplo- mas and degrees. Terre Haute alone manifested any interest in the advantages that might accrue from the loca- tion of such an institution. She offered half a

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ruaineuls (I 1) rii . A ' illi Its ihr.M ( ' uted liy Ihe t wcnty-Due students, tour walls .1 the pn.tVss„i-s. ' The Tcnv Haute IIio-1, pearance. School oeeiipieil a [loi-tion of the second llnor. On the tliird floor of their half coinplete l Let it he said that as an advertisement a puh- hiiilding. January n. ISTO (now celebrated as lishiiig coniiiany had presented the new institit- Foiinder ' s Day) eiiilit men gathered around the tion with a Bible and an unabridged dictionary. stovi on tlic niu ' lh -ide of the assembly room The facult - on that memorable first morning NORMAL BUILDING, 1570-1888 id ' 11 WOllK south side. What a enibly room. The ing on that raw. wi the range initiation for tlieus- lUs were cold and uninvit- try morning. Laboratories, ibraries. equipment, apparatus and other fa- •ilities now deemed an absolute necessity, there ivere none. The boy. h)g and teacher were rep- c((nsisted of a president. W. A. Jones, and two assistants, Miss Newall, one of the Innocents Abroad, and Prof. Bosworth. Later in the term Xathan Xewby. Miss Bruce and (xeorge P. Brown were added to the faculty, and the student body increased to forty. What a com- bination was here on this first nioriiina ' — a