Wilmington College - Wilmingtonian Yearbook (Wilmington, OH)

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HISTORY OF WILMINGTON COLLEGE By O. F. Boyd (Written February, 1949) So that students and friends of Wilmington College may know more about the background of the institution, this history is being written. The administration of each of the twelve presidents who have served the college is written separately, giving the important events and achieve- ments of each period. The writer has been privileged to work under eight of the twelve men who have headed the school, five of whom are now living. Wilmington College has had a period of steady growth since its be- ginning in 1870. Like some other privately endowed colleges, it has had many periods of stress but it has always been able to move forward through the efforts and sacrifices of interested friends. Throughout most of its existence, it has been a small liberal arts college. Only within the past three years has the enrollment numbered more than 400 regular students. “Non Saltu sed Multis Gradibus” The motto of the college, “Not by a leap but by many steps,” tells definitely the history and development of Wilmington College. In writ- ing this sketch, the author is deeply impressed and moved by the labors and sacrifices of those who have gone before and made it possible for us to have a Wilmington College. The united support of the faculty, stu- dents, and friends of the college is vitally needed to carry the college forward. The banner of the college is floating high and co-ordination of all available forces is needed to carry it to a higher plane. Franklin College A brief history of Franklin College is necessary to enable one to un- derstand how Wilmington College came into existence. Franklin College was founded in 1863 at New Albany in Athens County, Ohio, by the Gar- vin brothers, Thomas, James, and Hugh. As Ohio University was already a thriving school in that region, it was decided to move Franklin College to a more open territory. The Church of Christ was represented in Wil- mington and Clinton County by a strong group of Christian leaders. The Garvin brothers, after looking over the territory, decided to move the college to Wilmington in the fall of 1865. Classes were held in the county probate building at the corner of South and Main Streets and in the Christian Church located on the site of the present Nellie Moore Memorial. All of the Board of Trustees and the leaders who sponsored Franklin Col- lege are not known by the writer. It is known, however, that the follow- ing men from Wilmington were members of the first Board of Directors, viz: C. M. Bosworth, L. B. Welch, R. E. Doan, R. Wickersham and A. C. My fe

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THE WILMINGTONIAN Chapfer I. : THE HISTORY

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Diboll. Franklin College, while sponsored by the Christian Church, was non-sectarian as is shown in its constitution. Among the large contributors are found the names of prominent Friends. The Garvin brothers were young men of fire and zeal and succeeded in selling the idea of raising $20,000 for erecting a building to house Frank- lin College. The campaign was begun, and at a meeting in the old court house building on January 6, 1866, it was found that.$18,000 had been sub- scribed. The balance was pledged at this meeting and on February 17 fol- lowing, the fair grounds in east Wilmington was chosen as the site suit- able for the building. Seventeen and one-fourth acres were purchased at the price of $225 per acre. The fair was held as usual that year on the grounds. Later sixteen more acres adjoining the fair grounds were purchased from Thomas C. Morris. The building was begun in 1866, and on July 4 of that year an im- pressive ceremony was held at the laying of the corner stone, at which President J. W. Hall, of Miami University, was the principal speaker. Thomas Garvin, a recent graduate of Miami University, was selected as head of the new institution. For a time, the outlook of Franklin Col- lege was bright, but the work on the building moved so slowly that it was not until September 22, 1868, that it was opened for the reception of stu- dents. It has been reported, but not confirmed, that the students of Franklin College helped with the construction. It is confirmed, how- ever, that the bricks were molded and burned in a kiln on the site of the present athletic field where there is a depression in the ground and frag-° ments of brick still remain. There were no stairways to the second and third floors, so only the rooms on the lower floor which were only rough coated with plaster could be used. Franklin College had many modern ideas in instruction, and a touch of 1946 college era is noticeable in the fact that the college had its own GI Bill of Rights for veterans. The local paper carried a notice of the opening: “ . The year will be divided into three terms of twelve weeks each, and the curriculum into primary, preparatory, and collegiate depart- ments. Special attention will be given to those students interested in teaching in district schools. Disabled veterans of the Civil War and ladies of good moral character without sufficient means will be admitted free.” Following the Civil War, there was a period of depression which brought financial difficulties to the managers of the college, in that many of the subscribers who had made pledges to the building fund were not able to make payment. The final blow fell in July of 1869 when the brick masons, Darbyshire and McMillan, who had erected the building, were granted court judgment for their pay. To satisfy this judgment, Franklin College was offered for sale. For a time, there were no buyers as there seemed no demand for a building of this type except for college purposes. On August 11, 1870, Franklin College was put up for auction and sold to the Society of Friends for the sum of $11,334. In reviewing the history of Franklin College, we must give credit to the Garvin brothers and their faithful supporters of the Christian Church, for they are the people who crystallized the ideas of having a college in Wilmington and began work from which their followers greatly benefitted. —13—