Wabash College - Wabash Yearbook (Crawfordsville, IN)

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In the summer of 1827, a young clergyman penetrated the wilderness in the midst of which Crawfordsville now stands. He had a comfortable settlement in an older com- munity in the eastern part of the state, but he had an unconquerable desire to found a college somewhere in the Wabash country . In 1829 a second young minister, a younger brother of the first, came to Fountain county, and in the spring of the next year a third young minister reached Tippecanoe county. Late in the fall of 1831 a fourth entered the valley and settled in Fountain county. Their names, in the order mentioned, are James Thomson, John S. Thomson, James A. Carnahan, and Edmund O. Hovey. They made long journeys through the wilderness that they might discuss, around the cabin fires, their dominant purpose to es- tablish institutions of religion in this new country. Finally on November 21, 1832 these men with Rev. John M. Ellis, of Illinois, and three elders of the Crawfordsville church, John Gilliland, John McConnell, and Hezekiah Robertson, met in a small brick house half a mile west of town. Mr. Bradford King, a stranger in town, and a member of the Presbyterian church in Rochester, New York, also met with them. The deliberations of this meeting resulted in the unanimous reso- lution to establish an institution of learning in order to educate young men, chiefly for the ministry. In this religious, pioneer setting Wabash College was born. From the time of the founding Wabash has been fortunate in being directed by men whose primary interest has been the development of students in the principles of Christian education. To the six former presidents, all Presbyterian ministers, whose portraits and brief biographies appear on the following pages, Wabash is indebted for guidance through ninety-two years of its life. To the nine founders and six former presidents-all builders of our college - we respectfully dedicate the 1940 Wabash. 1 8 3 2 - 1 9 0

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REV. JOHN S. THOMSON REV. JAMES A. CARNAHAN REV. EDMUND O. HOVEY REV. JOHN M. ELLIS REV. JAMES THOMSON HON. JOHN GILLILAND HON. HEZEKIAI-I ROBERTSON HON. JOHN McCONNELL B R A D F O R D K I N G J , ,JH wH J'M'4 w..'2 ' K