University of Vermont - Ariel Yearbook (Burlington, VT)

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Cfje Ctjolution of tfje IbjiWiU ' Tt ' HE Old College building, better known for several generations as the Old S ill, has passed through many transformations since the original edifice was raised in 1801. Following the War of 1812 the University received $5,600 from the United States government for rental and damage on the prop- erty during its occupation as barracks. This sum sufficed to make extensive repairs on the Old S lill and several other buildings then owned by the college. In 1824, following one of the critical periods in the history of the Uni- versity, the college building was destroyed by fire. cA student was burning shavings in his stove on the ground floor, and sparks from his chimney fell on the roof, causing the blaze. It was due to ' Pro- fessor ' Porter, a young chemistry teacher, and a number of youthful graduates, that the necessary funds were raised for the erection of new build- ings. In the summer of 1825 when a new Pres- ident, Willard T ' reston, came to take charge, the only evidences of the institution were a few baskets of books and a few bits of philosophical apparatus in the corner room of a deserted store- house, and the newly started foundation of the north college, according to the account of l ro- fessor Benedict. Three buildings were even- tually raised on the spots now known as north, south and middle. There was an interval of seven or eight feet between each, governor Van S ess laid the cornerstone of orth College in the spring of 1825. oA month or two later, on Sune 29 , Qeneral Lafayette laid the cornerstone of the south building. The middle structure was not completed until 1829. The north and south structures were built for dormitories and each was built in two divisions. The buildings were three stories high, and seventy-five feet long by thirty-six feet wide, c few recitation rooms were finally placed on the first floor of the South College. The middle college was eighty-six feet long with a projection front and rear. It contained the chapel, museum, library, lecture rooms, and two rooms assigned to Thi Sigma S u and University Institute, rival debating societies. It was surmounted by a gilded dome, the working plans for which were executed by Trofessor Benedict, and which was a promi- nent landmark during the fifty years that it remained standing. In about 1848 a few small rooms were added to the buildings by walling up the space between them. There were, however, no corridors running lengthwise of the structure, making it necessary to go out of doors in passing from one division or from one building to another. The tin roof was changed for Welsh slate about this time. Shortly after 1860 the north and south college buildings were both thor- oughly repaired and convenient suites of rooms for students provided. The chapel was also enlarged. In 1882, the reconstruction of the Old S Iill in its present form, according to plans drawn by J. 5- Randall of Jutland, was made possible by John T. Howard, who contributed about $50,000. The different stories were raised, and the chapel and other rooms enlarged by adding projections at the ends and center. The space now occupied by the University Store, coffee corner, and Twenty ' 2i m : ' r ,rtrsr»rirrr ' ' .

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' ' ' i ' V meetings after his return from £urope, until he resigned from the board at a meeting held at Jutland October 12, 1804. His financial troubles were so great that he could not throw them off and he was obliged to leave the State to avoid imprisonment for debt. T)uring his last years on the board of trustees the pre- siding officer was Qovernor Tichenor, one of the most mfiuential and persistent enemies of Ira zAllen. College Puilbing Wisiii ais JSarracfeji in l ar of 1812 3N addition to his other duties ' President Sanders found time to write a His- tory of the Indian Wars, which was published in 1812 by Wright and Sibley of S Iontpelier. This is considered one of the best histories of the nAmer- ican Indian ever published, but it was savagely attacked by cAn cAssociation of Qentlemen at S Iiddlebury on the ground that certain statements were not in harmony with orthodox religion. ' President Sanders, disturbed by this criti- cism, so far as possible destroyed the books. In 1814 the War ' ■ ' Department asked for and was granted the use of the college edifice as barracks for soldiers and college exercises were temporarily suspended. re£iibent anberfi 3 etires( RESIDENT Sanders retired from his position, leaving town with his family S Iay 14, 1814, when a ' ■British flotilla was in ' Turlington Bay. He lived many years, his death occurring October 18, 1850. ' ' resident Wheeler in writ- ing of the first President said: He was a man of large stature, six feet in height, of manly proportions, of great personal courage, of gentlemanly bearing and of quick, impulsive, but honorable feelings. The number of graduates during ' President Sanders ' administration, given by classes, were as follows: 1804, four; 1805, three: 1806, six (one non- graduate) ; 1807, three: 1808, two (one non-graduate) ; 1809, twelve (one non-graduate and one death of a student); 1810, seventeen (five non-grad- uates); 1811, eight (nine non-graduates) ; 1812 eight (eight non-graduates) ; 1813, ten (eight non-graduates) : 1814, five (six non-graduates) . There were forty -six undergraduates who left college when the necessities of war closed its doors to students. )t nibersitj truggleg for existence )0T only during the early days of the University, but for many years there- after, the institution maintained a precarious existence. Students were few and funds were scarce. £uen the small salaries allowed often were long over- due. Hostility to the University was shown not infrequently by influential ' groups of citizens. cAs one surveys the record of the University, and notes the dangers that threatened its very existence again and again during the first seven or eight decades of its history, one marvels that it was possible to keep the doors open for instruction, and to maintain such high standards and noble traditions. Later generations, studying and teaching under conditions vastly more favor- able, with humility and reverence should hold in high honor those who suffered great hardships in their brave efforts to prevent the extinguishment of the lamp of learning lighted on this hilltop so long ago. Nineteen ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Hi !il III

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T . T zz.. . . T T T T t educational offices was tfien made a drill room. T je space ovet f ?e cfiapel lyas used by tfie engineering department as it is today. The administration offices were on either side of the central projection off the main hall, probably about where the Dean ' s office and Y. V. Q- t - rooms are now located. The chemical laboratory occupied the space now taken by I SK orth, and the rooms over it were dormitories. The rest of the present iJ orth College and the correspond- ing parts of South, that is, the portions occupied by rooms 3, 23, and 33 at either end, contained lecture rooms and storerooms. The portion correspond- ing to rooms I and 4 and those above in South College as well as the entire fourth story with the exception of the engineering department over the chapel were also dormitories. The cornerstone of the reconstructed building was re- laid with iMasonic ceremonies conducted by T r. L. C- ' Butler of £,ssex, as part of the commencement program on June 26. 1883. In the early part of the summer of 1918 the south wing was badly dam- aged by fire, and extensive repairs were made on the building. The dormer, windows which used to light the fourth story were removed. cAt this time also the stoves were discarded and replaced with a steam heating system. In order that visitors to the city might take advantage of the view from the tower the stairs leading to it were repaired, enclosed and wired for electric lights. Hardwood floors, new plaster, and interior finish of oak, gave us our present South Coll 9 ' with the exception of room 4 which was then the Tro- phy %oom. In the summer of 1919 when a general cleaning up took place following the occupation of University property by various military units, the north end was renovated. TiN looking over the written records of the University of Vermont, we are hard put to find any mention of some traditions to which we cling with monotonous regularity. If it offend your sense of taste to have such well- known matters put in print, just think what a Qodsend it will be to some member of the ARIEL board in the year 3035 cA. T). hunting frantically for a feature in the precious archives hidden deep in the crumbling remains of ' killings Library. f}t ?3apti£(mar ' Jfount ( VER beyond the Ira nAllen statue is a fountain which under the dark foliage of surrounding shrubs, has been for most of the masculine element of this class a grim and forbidding place. It is here that the grimy frosh is purified, before beginning his four-year race through these mad sanctums, and not always do the dutiful frosh who conduct the ceremonies come off with matches dry enough to light their cigarettes. In former years it was not uncommon to see the frosh firmly bound, marched down C ?urc 3 Street and into the C ' y Hall fountain or sometimes into the deeper horse trough by the jail. cAt other times the newborn college man has fearfully listened to the waters of Lake C am- plain and struggled frantically on the uery edge of liattery T ' ark. S ow the Key and Serpents have become fight promoters and their ancient enemies of the year before find it increasingly difficult to rope the greenlings in by ones and twos for they are organized in larger groups by said society. On the first or second evening of the college year Ira sees suspicious figures lurking about in the Twenty-one ■ ' - - ' It 4 A A I