University of Pittsburgh - Owl Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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FOREWORD T HAS been the traditional endeavor of the Owl to record the separate activities of the year and to fuse them into an entity: to recapture and crystallize the diffused spirit of the University as it exhibits itself in the varied phases of University lifeg and to add, perhaps, a touch of lustre to events which too soon become but recollections. To these aims the 1937 Owl adds another: to commemorate the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the University by a connotative, appre- ciative treatment of its record. There is no necessity here for an exhaustive or detailed history: others have accom- plished that. The editors hope to present a general delineation of-and thus to kindle an interest in-the glorious past of the University.

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THE PITTSBURGH ACADEMY-1787 T29 tw ONE HUNDRED FIFTY YEARS. HE YEAR 1937 is a landmark in the history of the University of Pittsburgh from whence we can look back upon 150 years of progress. The history of the University epitomizes the his- tory of education in Pittsburgh. Idealism, tem- pered with a growing realization of the need for education in this thriving frontier town, motiva- ted the founding of the University. In that day there were 150 families in Pittsburgh. The year was 1787, and Hugh Henry Bracken- ridge, Representative in the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, petitioned the Legislature for a charter for the establish- ment of the Pittsburgh Academy. On February 28, the charter was granted. A three room log cabin was built near the fort at the Point, and George Welch, who had advertised in the Pittsburgh Gazette that he was an instructor in learned languages, English, and mathe- matiks, was made principal. A half dozen buck- skin clad students enrolled. They aimed to re- ceive an education in useful arts, science, and literature. The usual classical subjects were taught-elocution, literature, mathematics, French, astronomy and the rudiments of chem- istry. By 1790 enrollment had increased enough to warrant the construction of a new brick building near the log cabin, which then served as a pro- fessor's home. As the Academy progressed, the faculty, the equipment, and the scope of instruc- tion grew. loseph Stockton, who served as the last principal of the Academy from 1810 to 1819, wrote two widely used textbooks during his tenure: The Western Calculator and The Western Spelling Book. These were the most modern textbooks in use beyond the Alleghenies. The townspeople were always looking up- ward. A new charter, secured in 1819, reorgan- ized the Academy, and the school was known now as WUP-the Western University of Penn- sylvania. The Rev. Dr. Robert Bruce was the new principal, and during his long term, which lasted until 1842, great advances were made. A new building was erected, engineering courses were offered, and a Law School began to function. By 1845 WUP was acknowledged as one of the best schools west of the Alleghenies. The bright outlook soon dimmed. Twice with- in four years the University with all its equip- ment was burned. The great fire of 1845 swept the city, completely demolishing the University. Soon a new building was erected on Duquesne Way. And in 1849 a second great fire raged through the downtown section, again razing the University. The discouraged trustees shook their heads at their misfortune and rented a building where classes were held until 1854. In that year the wandering students moved to a new school- house at Ross and Diamond Streets, with lohn F. McLaren as Principal. WUP again began to grow. The day of industrialism was beaming bright in Pittsburgh, and men of knowledge were needed. Progress, however, soon received another jolt. The Civil War burst upon the nation, and in those tragic years WUP was virtually without students. In 1858 Donati's Comet had flashed across the sky, and a wave of interest followed. Lectures on astronomy were given, and an Allegheny Telescope Society was launched. Members sub- scribed for the purchase of a small telescope, and a rare thing happened. The fund was over-