University of Vermont - Ariel Yearbook (Burlington, VT)

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October 17, a meeting of the corporation of the University of Vermont tx as held in that village, with Qovernor Tichenor in the chair. cA petition from citizens of ' Turlington was read which contained an obligatory clause binding the subscribers to the support of a President or college officers free of all expense ' to the corporation for the term of three years, or until such further period as the funds shall be sufficiently productive as to enable this corporation to effect the same object. Here, at last, was something definite and tangible, and after a long discussion the board authorized the choice of a President, electing unani- mously ' Jiev. Daniel Q- Sanders of ' Burlington. 4 iWibbletiurp (jlranteb a C!)arter (?i FORTNIGHT later the Legislature granted a charter to SVliddlebury Col- lege. The long delay in organizing the University of ' Vermont had en- couraged the citizens of SMiddlebury to believe that the college so long under consideration might be located in their village rather than at ' Burlington. cA further reason may be found in two visits from ' ' resident T)wight of Yale Col- lege, a militant champion of the orthodox religion of the period. resiibent of |9ale (0ppos!esi 3ra Uen 7(N appointing the trustees of the University of Vermont an effort had been ' made to avoid sectarianism and the members appointed represented several denominations. The fact that Ira oAllen. the principal figure in the establish- ment of the University, was a brother of Sthan (lAllen, known as an advocate of liberal religious views, may have influenced the President of Yale to defeat, if possible, the ' Burlington enterprise. In any event, the year 1800 saw the actual beginning of two collegiate institutions in a State having a population of 154.465. Baniel anberfi, jFirsit regibent of ?initjers!itp ' Tf ANIEL CLARKE SANDERS had been familiar with Vermont affairs for nearly a decade. He was thirty-two years old, at this time, having been born in Sturbridge, iMass., SVlay 3, 1768. He was graduated from Harvard College in the class of 1788, taught in the Cambridge, Mass. Qrammar School, studied theology, and was licensed to preach in 1790. In 1791 he received the degree of cA. SVI. from Harvard. He went to Vergennes, Vt., in May, 179Z, where he preached for several months, and received a call to the pastorate of the Congregational church. He did not accept the call at this time, but married a Vergennes woman, the daughter of jabez Fitch, an active business man residing in that place. In 1794, Mr. Sanders accepted a second call and served as pastor of the Vergennes church until (August, 1799. He had declined a call to the pastorate of the rattleboro church in order, to quote from his own auto- biography, that he might go to Burlington, to preach there, the first preaching they ever had, chiefly to get into operation the University of Vermont. He had also established a school in Turlington, and the corporation of the Univer- sity at its meeting held in Windsor, October 22, 1799, had voted that the ' Rev. T)aniel C- Sanders, instructor of the cAcademy in Turlington, have the use of the house for the President of the University and fifty acres of land adjoin- ing the building. Evidently there had been some understanding between Mr. Sanders and the University trustees relative to the presidency. He opened a Fourteen

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.• T.T.V zz p? 1844. 3 0 records of trustees ' meetings appear between January 31, 1794, and October 17, 1798. The absence of Ira iAllen in Surope may be the reason for the failure to hold a meeting. Cost 552 l ounbg N the last-named date a committee was appointed to examine the accounts of Joshua Stanton for building the college house. oAt an adjourned meet- ing, held October 25, 1798, the committee reported that S lr. Stanton ' s expenses incurred amounted to £552. There had been received in cash, rent, deed of land, subscriptions in notes uncollected and produce, the sum of 286 pounds, 9 shillings and 7 pence. Apparently the house had been nearly completed as an item was presented for glass, which had been omitted from a previous bill. iBurlinston Citizens ' jHonep l asitenfi Cfjoice of resibent T a meeting of the corporation held at Windsor, October 22, 1799, a peti- tion was received from a number of the inhabitants of Turlington, praying that the board proceed immediately to the appointment of a T ' resident of th University. The trustees were not ready to take this step and referred the peti- tion to the next meeting. qA letter from T)avid %ussell of ' Burlington was read, enclosing a copy of a subscription of sundry gentlemen for the sum of £2,310 for the purpose of erecting a brick edifice and procuring a library and philosophical apparatus for the University. There was no capital of Vermont at this time, and the. Legislature met in the larger villages of the State, as convenience and policy dic- tated. It chanced that the session of 1800 was held in iMiddlebury, and on Thirteen

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preparatory school of which he afterward said: cAt first it was little more than a common school, where even females were permitted to attend. cAt a meeting of the corporation held on January 7. 1800. 5Vfr. Sanders was elected a member and its secretary, and with iMessrs. Hitchcock and Harrington he con- stituted a committee to prepare a device for a seal. l gcnt ©irecteb to procure t)ilos(opt)ical Apparatus! (f N January 10, 1800. ' David T usse was directed to procure such durable materials as are necessary for the erection of a college edifice so far as sub- scriptions shall enable him. On the day following the election of ' President Sanders, the agent for building a college ediRce was directed to procure such books for a library and such parts of a philosophical apparatus as shall be judged most useful. governor Tichenor was appointed a committee to procure a plan for the college edifice and transmit the same as soon as possible to ' i)avid %ussell, the agent. In a letter written to Qovernor Tichenor by iMr. Sanders. September 3, 1800, it was stated that at least half the bricks for a college edifice had been made and a contract had been drawn up for laying them. A ■ V; d risinal lb Mill iHobelleb after l rinceton IBuilbing JiN January, 1801, it was reported to the trustees that Qovernor Tichenor had failed to present a plan for a college edifice, and President Sanders, V il- liam C- Harrington and David ' Ti.ussell were appointed a committee to procure a plan from the Qovernor or adopt a new one according Jo their best judgment and superintend the actual execution of it. On the margin of a printed copy Fifteen