University of Tennessee Knoxville - Volunteer Yearbook (Knoxville, TN)

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Brief History of the University of Tennessee One hundred and thirty-two years ago, just two years after the sixty-four lots comprising the original town of Knoxville were laid off by C01. James White, and two years before T ennessee was admitted to the union as a state, the University of Tennessee, under its maiden name of Blount College, was chartered by the legislature of the Territory South of the River Ohio. This institution was the first strictly non-denominational college in the United States, and also has the distinction of having been the first to award an academic degree to a woman. This was to Barbara Blount, the daughter of the governor of the territory, for whom the college was named. Women, however, were barred in 1807, and were not again admitted until 1893, but even then Tennessee stood fourth as a pioneer in co-education. The percentage of women graduates in 1923 was 31 percentwin 1924, 4-0 percent. Blount College, without an endowment or an income other than its tuition Charges and voluntary gifts, struggled along until 1807 when it was changed by act of the legislature to East Tennessee Col- lege. The purpose of this act was to make the college the recipient of one-half the proceeds Of the sale of lands appropriated by Congress for the support of two colleges in Tennessee, the other to be located in the middle of the state. The difficulties attending the sale of lands were so great that the new college was unable to open its doors until 1820. It was in 1826 that the present site was purchased and Old C01- Iege was built to be supplanted by Ayres Hall five years ago. This Page Fourteen

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MASSEY DEAN OF MEN FELIX M.

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' WTELM N 117351? year is the centennial of the Universityls establishment in its present location. In recognition of the growth and advancement of the college, its name was changed to East Tennessee University by the legislature in 1840. When the United States under the Morrill Act of 1862 donated the proceeds of the sale of public lands to the state, the en- dowlment was transferred to the University and an Agricultural and Mechanical College was organized in 1869, greatly widening the held of the Universityls work, and making it a University in fact as well as name. Ten years later, in 1889, the name was changed for the last time to The University of Tennessee. From this time on, the Uni- versity has served as the head of the public school system of Tennessee, uthe capstone of the educational arch , with the reputation 'and sup- port of the State of Tennessee behind it. As a result of the million dollar appropriation by the state legis- lature in 1917, Ayres Hall, the new Liberal Arts building, which re- placed on the Hill several smaller buildings including Old College, and Morgan Hall, the equally beautiful Agricultural building, were completed in 1921, as was the new Shields-Watkins Athletic Field. A permanent power plant has also been erected, Which not only sup- plies heat and light to all the buildings now on the campus but also is sufficiently powerful to supply all of the buildings to be erected under the extensive building program to be carried out in the future. Sophronia Strong Hall, a new dormitory for women, including a modern up-to-date cafeteria for all students, located a block west of the campus, was opened in 1925. Another appropriation by the 1925 legislature, made possible the erection of a practice house for the De- Page Fifteen