University of Northern Iowa - Old Gold Yearbook (Cedar Falls, IA)

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The Board of the Soldiers' Orphans' Home met in Cedar matron, under the direction of the steward, shall control the Falls on J une 7, 187 6, for the purpose of turning over to- the dormitories, and ohserve that the rooms are kept clean and in Normal Bo-ard the property as required hy law. The Board good order, shall care for the sick, superintend the Work of then elected Professor J. CL Gilchrist as principal of the the kitchen, bakery, dining-room and laundry, and in these school. A steward and a matron Were also elected. A clipping respects take that general care and supervision which belongs from the old records of the school- reads as follows: 's'The to the nlistress of a household. ' p 9

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founding of a normal schoo-l at Cedar Falls, was the fact that in April, 1868, provision was made by the Twelfth General Assembly to erect a building for the Soldiers' Orphans' Home at Cedar Falls at an expense of twenty-ive thousand dollars, provided twenty acres o-f land suitab-le for a site was donated to the state. You will notice that in the early days, the state, Miller a most effective and successful legislator. February 1, 1876, Mr. Hemenway introduced a bill for Nan act to establish and maintain a school for teachers. February 9, 1876, Senator Miller introduced the same bill into t.he Senate, and it passed by the following vote: yeas 26, nays 14, absent or not voting' 9. It is a peculiar fact that the passage of this bill elicited no before carrying out a project, always demanded a donation of some kind from interested par- ties in order to carry on the debate whatever in the Senate. Many that were bitterly opposed did not expect the bill to get a constitutional majority, - and work. This shows that the lib- 7 page ..,.. gp A , . . thus gave it little attention. But erality of 'the state toward edu- 1 2 355 2, 'W f a very lively contest took place cation at that time was very ' l in the House. The parliament- mu. - t ... a sr t r.r ary tactics use to the Several years later, Senator 'i 1 I. passage of the bill are rarely E. G. Miller, of Black Hawk , ,.. ,,:-, ,.-,,, , p p',- '.p. .- Q V 1 ' IH '- X7 p .'eip ,gi f ,V eqqualed. After much debate, it county, a believer in normal A '-.' r .ti ' X' ' ' :,- .Q Vt A passed the House by a vote of schools, saw the Soldiers' CT- i ',.., ' I, ,...f .--gpg in ' Q I ,I y 52 to 33, 14 members being ab- phans' Home at Cedar Falls, cii' ' iff '1., I . ' ' f I ,ig-:fl sent or not voting. and said: This is the place H f S. 'p So concisely and accurately for a state normal school. He f 1, te ', ' t' . Vgiifffflffi .'t'f was the measure framed that thought it would be an easy ,.. A ' ' if n by gy, at no time since its becoming - . 1 i 1 i..Le4 1 r 'A 'ftt p -Q , . .. 1. , thing to make the -people of I ., ,QOH 4? a lan has the Boaid of 'liustees Iowa see the merit of the plan and utilize the soon-to-be-va cated public building and at the '.n 1n - ,- THE FIRST FACULTY, 1876 ' or the executive officers of the sta.te suggested any amendment same time take a. long step for- COL' J' M' PATTE J. C. GILCHRIST D. S. WRIGHT FRANCES YVEBSTER LI. XV. BARTLETT ward in the .cause of education. Senator Miller introduced a bill llarch 3, 1874, calling for a normal school. Early and late was this measure advocated, but the support it received was so discouraging that it was not even pressed to a vote. The advocates of a normal school were disappointed, indeed. Very fortunate was the election to the House of Hon. H. C. Hemenway, of Cedar Falls, as this added to Senator or revision, while the few slight changes occurring now and then have not modified the main features of the original measure. V The Normal School bill was approved by Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood, March 17, 1876, who selected as directors, Har- mon C. Hemenway, of Cedar Falls 5 Fldward H. Thayer, of Clinton, Sherman G. Smith, of Newtong Gifford S. Robinson, of' Storm Lake, Lorenzo D. Lewelling, of Salem 5 Williaiii Fat- tee, of Clarksville, to begin service on J une 1, 1876.

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Teachers were chosen as follows: M. XV. Bartlett, A. M., Professor of Ancient Languages and Natural Sciences, David Sands YVri0'ht A. M. Professor of Mathematics and W . - ' D 7 7 English Literature, Miss Frances L. WVebster, t.eacher of Geography and His- tory. An arranfreunent was afterwards made with E. lV. Burn- D welcoming the students and coniplinienting the State of Iowa on beginning this work. It was then announced by the prin- cipal that there would be some recitations in the afternoon, and our Professor lVrigh't had the honor of giving the first lesson. At this time, the Old Go-ld staif desires permission to pay a tribute to the kind and sympathetic professor who, for thirty- three years, has devoted his energy and his talents in the great cause of education. Only the kind words of his students, and ham, engaging him to give instruction in vocal and instrumental music. The buildings and grounds turned over W .,..g,,., ii V hip, H11 41-:ff -N ,L,.,.n:- . . 1 1 - NA, . ', si, .: .jp the consciousness ' of a life spent in serving his fellow-men, has e n a b l e cl Professor lVright to stay by the ship as long as he for the use of r the ,.,, V- 521.531, ,3gg--4gg-5' has. The first lesson . . . 'M --:thyzftf .--1-5: ,WN mf' - p ,1-x s -. A Sy- V-,iq R. , school were fitted up . , :gif -:Q that Professor Wright and repaired in the '-+-eff'-- Q , ,, ,'s-3Ag,,,,,,n:.f.x ' -- ., gave was one in Eng- - . if is L 'fif'qT'1'i'?f1 ' ' . na- ' ' 'N A - 5 best Jossible manner. 11?-g.5f.-HN , , gf' . .,n.,,:1'E5Q1-l,l.,f.3 P 1 '-.- . N, 1 lish Grannnar and . lf'27Q?iZZii: , 5123 i . .-all '-5312.9 -..,'. :fi 3, . e ' J . ' . 7 . At that if-11116 Normal -'ff gp . ,fr 11- 51.11- i..i.i,.'.-537-' ----- Still the entire n1embe1'Sl113 . H . .5112 - .2622-E.-5' . - A-cf...-.-. 1 A. ..,. ,I 5 mir: . Hill was a howling of the school, includ- - 1 ' '+f Wei.i,:-. ,nz 'ff its films- . Eff? - wildernessv as far as mg the faculty: Pal the l'l1 l1'l'S of civiliza- tici Dated. Imagine 6 X C l C tion were concerned, as there were practi- cally no houses on the IOWA STATE NORMAL SCHOOL 1891 SHOWING SOUTH HALL, NORTH HALL, SUPT'S HOUSE AND PRESIDENT'S COTTAGE such a procedure to- day! Professor Bart- lett then presented a hill, and all around were fields of corn, while the road to the little village of Cedar Falls had no houses wha.tever bordering on it. The beginning of the work of the school occurred Tuesday, September 6, 1876. The irst faculty was on duty that morn- ing to receive the students. After singing a song, and devo- tional exercises, the enrollment began. The first student to enroll was L. VV. Pierce, of Cedar Falls. Then there was some speech-making by the diiferent members of the Faculty, lesson on Arithmetic The next day the stu- dents were exainined in various elementary studies. 7 and Miss Webster one on Geography. More st.udents presented themselves from day to day, and at the end of the term eight-eight students were pursuing studies. The second term' s enrollment was eighty-six students, the third, one hundred and six students. The average attend- ance for the year had been about- eighty students and their average age about twenty years.