Milligan College - Buffalo Yearbook (Elizabethton, TN)

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Early History of Milligan College □ Milligan College had its beginning in the Yes- terday. It was just at the close of the Civil War that Doctor Caswell Taylor ' s daughter, now Mrs. Jane Millard of Johnson City, taught school in the Old Buffalo log church where the present church now stands. The people became inter- ested, and her brother Isaac Taylor, in 1867 or 1868 obtained a charter for a school to be known as Buffalo Institute, which he and the neighbors planned to build. W. G. Barker united with them and became the first teacher in the new building: then followed Professor Turner and later Pro- fessor Akard, who closed his work in the spring of 1875. Having learned of the situation, through J. D. Hamaker and Samuel Shelbourne, Prof. Josephus Hopwood decided to make in- vestigations. In August, 1875, he came to Johnson City, then a town of 1500 people. He was kindly entertain- ed overnight in the home of W. C. Maupin and on the next morning heard him preach in the school house on Science Hill. The disciples had no house of worship and only a few members. On the following morning a party went to Buffalo Institute on a prospecting tour. The house was a two-story brick, 36x40, with two rooms. It was situated on one acre of land which had been donated by Joshua Williams. After looking over the building and grounds and getting together the Board of Trustees : W. G. Barker, C. C. Taylor, J. D. Price, Pickney Wil- liams, Sam W. Hyder and others, the agreement was made. Prof. Hopwood was to pay interest on the debt of $1250.00 which was against the property. It was on August 19th, the first anniversary of their marriage, that Mrs. Hopwood arrived from Kentucky to assist Prof. Hopwood in the work. They took board half a mile away with Uncle Pickney Williams, as he was affectionately called. This was an excellent family and made a most congenial home for Prof, and Mrs. Hop- wood. When asked what board he would charge, the good man replied, Well, I wouldn ' t charge you anything, but you know I ' ve got eleven gals to shoe and I guess I ' ll have to charge you $2.00 a week. The county had no money for public schools that year, nor the year following, so Prof. Hop- wood set out to canvass the community for sub- scription students. School opened early in Sep- tember, and both of these good souls entered with enthusiasm into the work. During the first quarter they found it necessary to live nearer to the school : hence, they leased a small two-room cottag ' e and one acre of ground adjoining the school lot. Later this was bought from S. W. Hyder for $500.00, for a private home. Its im- mediate clooryard is now occupied by the larg ' e locust tree in front of Hardin 1 [all. The first school-year was a very happy one. At the close of it a public examination was given and a rising young man named A. A. Taylor was chosen to make the literary address. Vacation was spent largely in canvassing for students. On Morgan, his blooded Kentucky horse, Prof. Hopwood travelled twenty to forty miles in every direction. • Page Seven