Ohio Northern University - Northern Yearbook (Ada, OH)

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HISTORICAL SKETCH On April 9, 1866, Henry Solomon Lehr began his life work in Ada when he opened the spring term of the village school The Ohio Northern University had its origih as a select school November 12, 1866, when Henry Solomon Lehr became its only instructor of fifty-six students. The select school lasted five years till the fall of 1871 Subscriptions from the citizens of Ada erected the first building for the new school, known as the Ohio Northwestern Normal School, the first term beginning August 14, 1871. During the years of the select school only one Literary Society, the Ciceronian, was organized in 1866, The old Ciceronian Literary Society gave way to two others, organized August IS, 1871, and known as the Franklin and Philomathean Literary Societies, On September 3, 1880, a third Literary Society, known as the Adelphian Literary Society, was organized. Besides the regular normal and college work penmanship, bookkeeping, science of gov¬ ernment, parliamentary law,—not found in the old college,—and surveying were offered at this time In the second year of the Normal School, English was added to the course. In the third year there were ten teachers and three Literary Courses: Normal, Scientific, and Classical. In the school year of 1875-76 the Normal School then located at Fostoria, Ohio, was bought by and incorporated in the Normal at Ada. In ■the ninth year, 1879-80, a Fine Arts Department was added. In the tenth year are found the new departments of Stenography, Mechanical Engineering, Architectural Drawing, and Elocution. The increase in enrollment over the previous year was forty-five per cent, the result of increased facilities. In the year 1883-84 was started the course in Civil Engineering and Architecture. In the spring of 1885 the school expanded its name in keeping with its growth, and on May 21, 1885, it became a corporate body under the name of Ohio Normal University in order that it might lawfully confer degrees. In that year the College of Law was added and in 1886 the College of Pharmacy, with Charles Ashbrook as Dean, was established. Won¬ derful strides were made during the school year of 1885-86. In 1884-85 the military department was begun and three companies were organized. The United States Government recognized the institution and appointed Lieut. Roberts as commandment The name of the school was changed on July, 28, 1903, to Ohio Northern University, thus preserving the old initials of O, N. U, In September, 1898,the Central Ohio Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church contracted to buy the University but the sale was not completed until in August, I $99, Dr. Leroy A. Belt succeeded Dr. Lehr as President of the school in 1901, Dr, Belt resigned in 1905 and Rev r Albert Edwin Smith was elected. He had many difficulties to solve but won back the old friends of the school, and Dr. Lehr was elected president emeritus. Northern has gone on to greater things, and with the added facilities that the present building program will give, the prospects for Ohio Northern were never brighter. Page Seventeen