History of Iowa State: Time Line, 1958-1874

1858

By Louis Bernard Schmidt, Dept. of History and Government (1929)

Benjamin G. Gue

  Academic life:

Adonijah Welch was appointed the first President on May 11. Trained as a lawyer, he had been the first principal of the Michigan State Normal School. At the time of his appointment he was living in Florida and had been elected to fill out an unexpired term in the U.S. Senate.

	Adonijah S. Welch

  Campus:

The first unit of the Main Building (Old Main), predecessor of Beardshear Hall, was completed at a cost of $10,570.  The building contained a reception room, library, lecture hall, a specimen museum, professors' and recitation room, students' rooms, a chapel, kitchen, laundry, and dining room as well as rooms for the housekeeper and maids.

Old Main, n.d.

Student life:

The Philomathean Literary Society was founded for both men and women and by 1873, there were 50 members.  Originally meeting in the chapel, they later established a long-term home in the Freshman Room of Old Main, and were chaired by Professor T.S. Townsend, instructor in agriculture and zoology.

  University:

Known as the Iowa Agricultural College, the college was often identified by its initials, I.A.C.

  Academic life:

Iowa State Agricultural College was formally opened for the admission of students on March 17. The Main Building was also dedicated and President Welch was inaugurated. Curricula in agriculture and mechanic arts were offered. In the first term, classes were taught in rhetoric, landscape gardening, German, algebra, arithmetic, bookkeeping, geography, analysis, and instrumental music.

  Campus:

Three "professors" houses were constructed:

	South Hall (also known as South Hall, Domestic Economy Hall, and Music Hall): This residence served as a home for President Adonijah Welch and stood south and east of the Campanile. Later known as South Hall, Domestic Economy Hall, and Music Hall, it was destroyed by fire in 1912.
South Hall, n.d.
	Music Hall (also known as "The Maples" and "Stanton House"): The house known as "The Maples" was erected for Professor George W. Jones. Long the home of Edgar Stanton (Class of 1872) and professor of mathematics until his death in 1920, it then housed the Music Department until it was razed in 1978.
Music Hall, 1923
	Marston Cottage was first occupied by Professor William A. Anthony until he resigned in 1872.  The house was named for Anson Marston, Dean of Engineering, resided there from 1892-1949. His widow continued to live there until it was razed in 1958.
Marston Cottage, n.d.

  Student life:

The first class was comprised of 173 students, 136 men and 37 women. They enrolled from 55 Iowa counties.

  University:

Benjamin Gue (former lieutenant governor of Iowa, and president of the Board of Trustees) stated in his inaugural address: "Who of us can foresee the future of this Institution, which we this day dedicate to the education of the working people of Iowa?  It needs no prophet to foretell that its influence upon the youth of these classes, must in no very distant future be felt far and wide.  We may not live to see this day, but the time will surely come in which graduates of the Iowa Agricultural College will be found among the most eminent men and women that our State or this country can produce....inculcating correct principles, pure morals, free from prejudice, bigotry and false pride, they cannot fail to attain the highest positions of honor and trust....and by their lives honor the institution to whose fostering care they are so indebted."

Addresses Delivered at the Opening of the Iowa State Agricultural College, March 17, 1869, p. 15

  Academic life:

President Welch and I.P. Robert, professor of agriculture, held 3-day farmers' institutes at Cedar Falls, Council Bluffs, Washington, and Muscatine. These were the earliest institutes held off-campus by a land grant institution, and were the forerunners of 20th century extension.

   Campus:

 The first part of the Chemical Laboratory was built at a cost of $5,003.  The North Farm of 140 acres was purchased for $3,500 (where the former Pammel Court and the current Veenker Golf Course are now located).  President Welch also requested legislative funding for a 2-wing expansion of Old Main.

Student life:

Two additional literary societies were formed, The Bachelors' Debating (which allowed only male members) and the Crescents, which had thirteen original charter members.  This original thirteen included Edgar Stanton (professor and first to receive an I.A.C. diploma), Millikan Stalker (professor of Veterinary Medicine), and LaVerne Noyes (who donated the funding for Lake LaVerne).

The rules of the College were fairly strict, and included the following examples:

1. The recitation hours of the day and hours of the evening from 7:00 p.m. till 10:00 p.m. (except Saturday and Sunday) are set apart as study hours.

2. During study hours all students except such as are detailed for work, shall study quietly in their rooms.

4. Lights shall be extinguished at 10:00 p.m.

7. Loud talking, whistling, scuffling, gathering in hall or stair cases, and boisterous and noisy conduct, are at all times forbidden.

12. Students shall be detailed for labor by the President, and shall work as directed an average of two hours and one half per day for five days in the week.  (Young women worked in the dining or laundry services; young men on the farm.  Equal wages for both men and women were to be paid, as directed by President Welch.

14. Students may not visit the dining-room, laundry, kitchen, bakery, store-room, cellar, ice-house, workshop, or barns, nor walk through the meadows, lawns, or growing crops, without special permission.

15. The use of intoxicating liquors is prohibited to members of the College.

University:

Donations to the College included one hundred rhubarb roots, an industrial plow, an American bee hive, monthly reports from the Department of Agriculture, and geological specimens.

  Academic life:

The following classes were taught in Chemistry: inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, quantitative analysis, theoretical chemistry, qualitative analysis, agricultural chemistry, and physiological chemistry. 

President Welch taught classes in landscape gardening, the study of words, rhetoric, and analysis.

The College Herbarium (now the Ada Hayden Herbarium) was established by Charles E. Bessey, professor of botany.  A herbarium is a plant library containing dried and pressed plants.  The Herbarium, in 2006, contains 640,000 specimens of flowering plants, conifers, ferns, mosses and liverworts, algae and lichen, grasses and legumes.

  Campus:

Two wings were added to Old Main at a cost of $47,455.  The College also constructed a workshop, chemical laboratory, a horse barn, a professor's house, a corn crib and hen house, and a root cellar.

In examining the College's budget, it was discovered that an excess of $19,073.77 had been spent on the College building (Old Main) for lighting, heating,, and supplying water.

While the main object of the campus garden was to serve as a means of illustration, the produce raised provided supplies for the College, Farm House, and professor's families.  The crops raised were beans, beets, cabbages, carrots, corn, cucumbers, lettuce, melons, onions, parsnips, peas, potatoes, radishes, salsify (a vegetable whose root and leaves can be used for cooking purposes. It is also known as white salsify, goatsbeard, vegetable oyster, and the oyster plant, PageWise.com), squashes, turnips, and tomatoes.  79 varieties of potatoes were also planted.

Student life:

To enter Iowa State College as freshmen, students had to pass examinations in grammar, spelling, geography, arithematic, and algebra.  Some sample questions:

1.     Name and define all parts of speech

2.     Name in order of size the 3 largest rivers in the world

3.     Divide 365729 by 365

4.     If 4 men in 6 days cut 36 cords of wood, in how many days will 9 men cut 27 cords?

Excuses for any absences from any college exercise had to be granted personally by the President through a personal application from the student.

The Sunday schedule for students:

7:00 a.m.:      Prayers

9:00 a.m.:      Bible History

11:00 a.m.:     Singing

3:00 p.m.       Preaching

7:00 p.m.:      Students' Prayer Meeting

Students were only required to attend prayers and the 3:00 service.

  University:

Donations to the College for 1870 and 1871: Rhubarb roots, garden seeds, mowers, plows, a bee hive, quartz geodes, a copy of the Dubuque Daily Times, and cattle portraits.

Farmer's Institutes were held at Cedar Falls, Council Bluffs, Washington, and Muscatine, involving several hundred farmers.  The program topics included beef animals, fruit culture, stock breeding, bee culture, the milch cow, and agricultural education.

The Library contained 2,400 volumes (and spent $1,244.01 on new books).

  Academic life:

The first courses were given in domestic economy (home economics, family and consumer sciences) and were taught by Mrs. Mary B. Welch, the president's wife.  Iowa State became the first land grant university in the nation to offer training in domestic economy for college credit.

The first courses in Veterinary Science during the fall term by Dr. Henry H. Detmers.  A course on the management of bees, taught by Mrs. Ellen Tupper, was also offered.

The Herbarium contained 2,500 specimens, and also displayed a grains and textiles collection from the Paris Exposition of 1867.

 

The popular sports were baseball (for men) and croquet (for both men and women).  While Iowa Agricultural College (I.A.C.) did not play other schools in baseball, they did occasionally play town teams.

  Campus:

$45,000 was appropriated for a general laboratory building by the State Legislature.

The President's salary was raised to $3,500, and due to the isolation of the College, he was also allowed a residence.

Student life:

The freshman class schedule consisted of campus labor from 7 a.m. till 10 a.m., study time from 10 to noon, classes beginning at 1:30 through 5, and the evening was for studying.  Chapel was compulsory, and any absence resulted in 3 demerits.

  University:

A total of 106 swine were owned by the College: 38 Berkshires, 36 Chester whites; 2 Poland China, and 30 cross breeds.

The Library's collections were particularly strong in architecture, physics, natural history, and agriculture.

26 students graduated in the first class:  24 men and 2 women.  The first commencement was a great event (held at West House in Ames), beginning in the early afternoon and lasting till late in the evening, ending with a supper.  Each graduate delivered an oration and many people attended from throughout the state.  President Welch also spoke.

  Academic life:

The classes taught included landscape gardening, architecture, field artillery, analysis of the English sentence, German, mechanical drawing, constitutional law, stock-breeding, and algebra.

C.P. Wellman (Class of 1872) registered as the first graduate student.  J. K. Macomber (Physics) and Edgar Stanton (Mathematics), both of the Class of 1872, joined the faculty.

  Campus:

The Chemical Laboratory was furnished with furnaces, sandbaths, hoods, balances, filter pumps, and other apparatus for the Chemistry classes.

Student life:

The literary magazine, the Aurora, was published monthly by the students for the four literary societies on campus (The Philomathean (1868); The Bachelor (1870); the Cliolians (1870) and the Crescent (1870)).  The cost of a year's subscription was $1.00 and a single issue cost $.15.  The Aurora contained essays, reviews, and musings relating to culture, reading, and science, as well as local notes relating to alumni, the campus, and student activities and life.

The college terms ran from March through November.

Oyster suppers were in vogue.  Pies baked by the night watchman's wife were also available for purchase.

  University:

An investigation was undertaken of Major Samuel E. Rankin, who was serving as the College treasurer (as well as the State Treasurer).  Some $38,000 of College funds had been appropriated to cover drafts.  College officers were absolved of any wrongdoing.  Rankin turned over enough of his personal property to cover the loss.

The University motto, "Science with Practice," was first used.

The Class of 1873 included 11 gentlemen and 4 ladies for a total of 15 graduates.  Their commencement supper was held at the Waring House in Nevada.  President Welch also gave a presentation.

  Academic life:

President Welch taught landscape gardening, psychology, political economy, and stock-breeding.  There were 263 students enrolled in the college.

  Athletics:

Baseball was very popular, and there were numerous games played between the Iowa Agricultural College (I.A.C.) classes, resulting in sprained and broken figures, one dislocated jaw, and some smashed teeth (according to the Aurora).

  Campus:

The telegraph was extended to Ames and to the College.

Student life:

Croquet continued to be played on campus, and during the summer, many went out at night to go comet-watching.

  University:

Edgar Stanton was appointed Secretary of the Board, and in conjunction with the College Treasurers (including Major Geddes and Herman Knapp) kept close watch over the College's financial affairs.  Stanton served in this position until 1909.

  Academic life:

The faculty began publishing the Progressive Farmer, an agricultural journal.  Unfortunately, it ceased publication in 1876.

The Bee Department was abolished.

  Athletics:

Baseball continued to be popular, as was croquet.

  Campus:

Physical and Chemical Laboratories were added to the east side of Chemical Laboratory at a cost of $16,000.  The Laboratory was located near where Pearson Hall is today.

Chemical Laboratory, n.d.

Student life:

Delta Tau Delta was the first national fraternity at Iowa State.

The commencement supper for I.A.C.'s 20 graduates was held at the Aborn House in Des Moines, and Professor Wynn delivered a presentation.  Afterward, everyone attended the State Oratorical Contest at Moore's Opera House.

  University:

Professors' salaries were raised to $1800 and instructors' to $1500.

  Academic life:

Professors Pope (Chemistry), Beal (Civil Engineering), and Morrow (Agriculture) joined the faculty.

Domestic Economy established the first experimental kitchen opened by any college or university.

  Campus:

A printing office was established on campus.

Student life:

New Yale locks were installed on the dormitory doors and many students were locked out and had to crawl through their transoms to get back inside.

As noted in an 1876 Aurora, "Croquet is on the brain, we should judge; only 12 count on one ground the other evening, playing six different games.  But it is good exercise, keeping out of the ways of the balls."

Students spent time discussing the U.S. Presidential election and the merits of the candidates, Hayes and Tilden.

Several faculty and students attended the Centennial in Philadelphia.

  University:

The class exercises for the first time were held on campus in the chapel of Old Main.  In years past, the ceremony was usually held nearby (Ames, Des Moines, Nevada). 

Dr. David S. Fairchild of Ames, was recognized as the College Physician.  He had informally overseen the health of students since 1873.  Miss Margaret McDonald (who later married Edgar Stanton), Mrs. Mary B. Welch (the President's wife), the Proctor, H.D. Harlow, and the Professor of Chemistry, E.R. Hutchins (who was also a doctor) also oversaw the care of student health during the 1870s.

  Academic life:

The first graduate degree of Master of Science in botany, was granted to J.C. Arthur (Class of 1872).  Arthur was a student of Charles Bessey's, and became a noted authority on rust fungi.

  Athletics:

Croquet continued in popularity.

  Campus:

The Board asked the President to select a plot of 5 acres to be surveyed and set aside for a College cemetery.  The College Cemetery (1.7 acres) is currently located on the northwest corner of campus near Pammel Woods (named for Dr. Louis Pammel, botanist).  There are more than 700 graves. Included among them are six university presidents; one acting president; numerous administrators, faculty, staff, their spouses and children; veterans of five wars; two students; and a beloved night watchman and his dog.  A set of criteria consisting of length of service to the university is required to be considered for burial eligibility.

Professor Pope (Chemistry) built Pope Cottage south of Lincoln Way.  The architect is unknown, but the university was able to purchase it in 1884 for $3,000.

  Pope Cottage, n.d.

Student life:

The rooms in Old Main were painted and renovated, and for the first time, room rent was imposed.  In May, lightening struck the flag staff on Old Main, and part of the roof fell in on sleeping students. 

On May 3^rd, the students were given a holiday, and spent their time on carriage rides and dinners.  During the summer term, the students amused themselves with ice cream suppers, fishing parties, buggy rides, and political debates.

Pi Beta Phi (organized as I.C. Sorosis) was the first national sorority on campus.

  University:

 Under Dr. Fairchild, the College began keeping health records on its students.  As noted in his reminiscences sent to Iowa State, "All cases of sickness were entered…were classified and analyzed and a report presented to the Board of Trustees."   Students suffered many illnesses due to poor sanitation and close quarters.

  Academic life:

The first graduate degree of Master of Science in botany, was granted to J.C. Arthur (Class of 1872).  Arthur was a student of Charles Bessey's, and became a noted authority on rust fungi.

  Athletics:

Croquet continued in popularity.

  Campus:

The Board asked the President to select a plot of 5 acres to be surveyed and set aside for a College cemetery.  The College Cemetery (1.7 acres) is currently located on the northwest corner of campus near Pammel Woods (named for Dr. Louis Pammel, botanist).  There are more than 700 graves. Included among them are six university presidents; one acting president; numerous administrators, faculty, staff, their spouses and children; veterans of five wars; two students; and a beloved night watchman and his dog.  A set of criteria consisting of length of service to the university is required to be considered for burial eligibility.

Professor Pope (Chemistry) built Pope Cottage south of Lincoln Way.  The architect is unknown, but the university was able to purchase it in 1884 for $3,000.

Student life:

The rooms in Old Main were painted and renovated, and for the first time, room rent was imposed.  In May, lightening struck the flag staff on Old Main, and part of the roof fell in on sleeping students. 

On May 3^rd, the students were given a holiday, and spent their time on carriage rides and dinners.  During the summer term, the students amused themselves with ice cream suppers, fishing parties, buggy rides, and political debates.

Pi Beta Phi (organized as I.C. Sorosis) was the first national sorority on campus.

  University:

 Under Dr. Fairchild, the College began keeping health records on its students.  As noted in his reminiscences sent to Iowa State, "All cases of sickness were entered…were classified and analyzed and a report presented to the Board of Trustees."   Students suffered many illnesses due to poor sanitation and close quarters.

  Academic life:

Laboratory work in zoology involved the dissection of crayfish, frogs, and clams.

A periodical, "College Quarterly" was started to impart to the state what was being taught at the College.  It was edited by the department heads and issued 4 times per year.

  Athletics:

Football was introduced and was very popular with both students and faculty playing frequently. 

An Iowa Agricultural College (I.A.C.) baseball team played against the "Actives" of Ames, and lost, 33-12.

  Campus:

A ball ground was set aside for the ladies to take military drill (see Student Life)

Student life:

May 3^rd continued to be set aside as a holiday, and the students dispersed to "collect specimens."

A Young Men and Women's Christian Association was founded.

Carrie Chapman Catt (Class of 1880) helped organize the Ladies Military Company G (standing for Girls).  In 1891, the group was divided into two companies, G and L (for Ladies).  Both were disbanded in 1897.

According to the Reminiscences of I.A.C., the following was reported, "A couple were standing at the head of the stairs one noon, when the proctor came along and remarked that "this will never do."  "Why," they both replied at one, "it is not one yet."  "Yes, I know it is two yet," the proctor replied, "but liable to be one before long."  They departed.

  University:

The Alumni Association was founded.

The first telephones were installed on campus.

Commencement included extracts read from genuine graduating theses.

  Academic life:

The "School" of Veterinary Science was organized, the first state veterinary college in the United States (although veterinary courses has been taught since the beginning of the College).    This was originally a two-year course leading to a diploma.

In regards to the Department of Botany, Professor Bessey requested of the State Board of Education (overseeing Iowa State at the time), at least 4 rooms for…a class or lecture room large enough to comfortably seat one hundred or more students; a well-lighted laboratory…; room for the herbarium and cabinet of economic botany…; and a professor's study and library."

Domestic Science: Young ladies were instructed for several weeks in washing and ironing.  They also followed a 12-week course in cookery, using Miss Juliet Corson's "Cooking School Text-Book."  The lessons included learning how to make omelettes, chicken pie, hot slaw, apple pie, soups, and fried oysters.  (Come see a copy in Special Collections, call#: TX663 C82 1879)

  Athletics:

The military boys held a sham battle on the morning of June 21^st, and the battle raged between the "Pirates" and the "U.S. Troops" for nearly two hours.

  Campus:

A creamery was constructed (size 16 X 24 feet) and 50 cows provided all of the milk and butter for campus.  All of the milking and buttermaking was done by students.

Student life:

Students were charged the following:  $2.50 for Board, per week; $.40 for Lighting and heating; $.21 for Incidentals; $1.00-3.00 for Room rent; $.50 for Washing; and a $5.00 janitor's fee.  There were no tuition charges, but students did have to bring their own bedding.  Students were not allowed to play cards or use tobacco in any College rooms and were expected to attend Chapel daily.

15 men and 6 ladies graduated.  The courses of study at the time included agriculture, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and the ladies' course in science.

  University:

The College expended $300 for the purchase of the Durham bull, "Oneida Prince," from H.B. Adair.  Nearly 10 acres was devoted to experiments in wheat and the varieties sown included Minnesota White Fife, Scotch Fife, Improved Fife, Lost Nation, Golden Globe, and White Russian.  The total yield was 141 bushels valued at $137.39 at a cost of $76.37.  Nearly 1,000 trees were planted in the experimental orchard, consisting of Gros Pomier and Duchess.

The first professional engineering degree was in Civil Engineering, and was awarded to Charles F. Mount.

  Academic life:

President Adonijah Welch was paid $3,100 with an allowance of $150 for conducting Sabbath services (this was a reduction from his previous salary of $3,500); Professors Charles Bessey (Botany) and Millikan Stalker (Veterinary Medicine) were paid $1600; Mrs. Mary B. Welch (Domestic Economy) was paid $1,100, and Herbert Osborne (Asst. in Zoology and Entomology) was paid $300.

The courses of Study at the College were designated as General and Technical.  The General focused on the Course in the Sciences related to the Industries.  The aim, according to the I.A.C. catalog, was to "to give a liberal culture in the sciences and other branches of learning,  which underlie the great industries of the country, without especially confining it to any particular pursuit or profession."

The technical courses of the College were: Agriculture; Mechanical Engineering; Civil Engineering; and Veterinary Science.  There were also lines of technical study: Domestic Economy, Military Science, Literature and Language, Mathematics and Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Philosophy.

  Campus:

North Hall was in the process of being constructed, and was for the use of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, as well as Botany.  It was located near where MacKay stands today.  It was later attached to Margaret Hall (the women's dormitory) and demolished in 1926.

Student life:

The lectures committee arranged for a presentation by Will Carleton, the "Science of Home."  Unfortunately, he did not show up, and the students were forced to hold an impromptu debate and oration.

Only the freshmen had to participate in the non-instructive (and non voluntary) labor system.  While previously used as a teaching device, the prevalence of the laboratory method became predominant.

The course of study for a junior in Agriculture included the following classes in the first term: Horticulture, Botany, Practices in Agriculture, Vegetable Anatomy and Physiology, Physics-Heat, and English Literature.

  University:

 The Alumni Association met and congregated between Professor Stanton's house and the College, and they later joined the students in the dining hall.  It was noted that classes tended to sit together.

The Library had 6,000 volumes.  The goal was to complete a working library and to not necessarily read for amusement.  The Library was open from 2:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

  Academic life:

During the freshman year, the Agricultural Course of Study included Practical Agriculture (farm and garden work 12 hours per week); Advanced Algebra; Geometry; Book-keeping; Rhetoric, German or Latin; Drawing; Composition; Botany; Zoology; and Dairy.

The College Herd included the following types of cattle: Short-horns (19); Holsteins (7); Jerseys (1); High Grades (45) and Common (45).

If there was room, students were also accepted as "sub-freshman" to prepare for entering I.A.C. as freshmen.  Their course work included algebra, English, drawing, geometry, physiology and hygiene or descriptive zoology.

  Athletics:

In baseball, the College Nine defeated the Ames team by a score of 17-16.

  Campus:

The buildings of I.A.C. (in addition to the faculty houses) consisted of the Main College Building (Old Main), the Boarding (East) Cottage, Chemical and Physical Hall, North Hall, the Horticultural Buildings, South Hall, Farm House, the Creamery, and a Workshop, Laundry, and Gas-Works behind Old Main. The College Farm consisted of 860 acres with 70 set aside for the College Grounds.

The College Catalog noted the following, "The College occupies a pleasant and beautiful location, one and a half miles west of the town of Ames…The railroad facilities for reaching Ames from any part of the state are very good. Regular conveyances for passengers and baggage run between the station and the College, three times each day."

Student life:

There was no charge for tuition, but students had to pay for room and board. Manual labor (in addition to instruction-related labor) was still required, and the catalog states, "This institution can offer no inducements to the idler or self-indulgent."

  University:

An entire building at the Iowa State Fair was dedicated to the Iowa Agricultural College (I.A.C.) and deemed a great success. There were displays by all the departments, and the college battalion (under the direction of General Geddes) undertook guard duty for the fairgrounds. I.A.C. students won recognition for their collections of stamps and insects.

  Academic life:

Mrs. Welch gave a course of six lectures on domestic economy to a class of 60 women in Des Moines.

Mary Beaumont Welch

Professor Budd (Horticulture) traveled to Russia and collected specimens for determining which fruit trees and shrubs could best tolerate the Iowa winter.

J.L. Budd

The Veterinary Course of Study contained classes in zoology, botany, anatomy of domestic animals, veterinary obstetrics, and sanitary science.

 

  Campus:

The "College Grounds" were expanded to 120 acres, while the "College Domain" had 860 acres.

Old Main housed 200 students and was heated by steam and lighted with gas. The floors were organized in the following way:
Basement: dining room, kitchen, laundry, office and armory
First floor: chapel, President's office, treasurer's office and library
Second floor: recitation rooms and rooms for students
Third and Fourth floors: student rooms and the zoological/geological museums

A cyclone hit the campus on April 8th, causing a great deal of damage, and injuring several people. The President's House (The Gables), a new bridge, South Hall, Professor Budd's house, and North Hall all sustained damage costing between $25,000-$35,000.

 

Student life:

There were now two proctors for the students, replacing Mr. Harlow, who had graduated the previous fall. Proctor Harlow received a watch in honor of his years as proctor.

While music was not offered at the College, it was possible to arrange for lessons. The costs for piano or organ lessons were $10 for 20 lessons. There were also choruses and harmony lessons.
 

  University:

Due to health problems (and increasing external pressures for more vocational training) President Welch took leave to inspect the agricultural colleges of Europe. While gone, the Board of Trustees cut his salary (and that of Mrs. Welch) by $300. General Geddes was also removed from his position in military tactics.

The Library contained 6,000 volumes and were all covered in a strong brown paper for protection. The Library daily hours were 2 p.m. till 9 p.m.
 

  Academic life:

The Mechanical Engineering Course of Study included classes in algebra, geometry, composition, drawing, botany, chemistry, differential and integral calculus, physics, French, political economy, and geology.

Practical illustration for class purposes included the following: the vegetable, flower, ornamental gardens and borders, experimental nurseries and orchards, the forestry and small-fruit plantations, and collections of wood, insects, abnormal and diseased growths, fruit casts, and a horticultural museum (herbarium).

 

  Athletics:

Bicycle riding and baseball were popular on campus.

  Campus:

The first Engineering Hall was built at a cost of $4,890.

Osborn Cottage was built and named for Herbert Osborn (Class of 1879), professor of zoology. After leaving Iowa State in 1898, Dr. Osborn was chair of the Zoology and Entomology Department at The Ohio State University until 1916. Osborn Cottage was demolished in 2001 after hosting the Honors Program for 25 years.

Osborn Cottage

Sloss House, built for Professor Bessey is named for Thomas Sloss, superintendent of the Department of Buildings and Grounds. It now houses the Margaret Sloss Women's Center. Sloss, the daughter of Thomas who grew up there, was the first woman to graduate from Iowa State with a degree in veterinary science. Sloss House now houses the Women's Center and is Iowa State's lone remaining house.

Sloss House

Student life:

There were two cases of scarlet fever, and at least 40 students left the College in order to avoid the disease.

The term opened on February 27 (Wednesday) and ended with commencement on November 12 (Wednesday).
 

  University:

President Welch resigned, but remained on the faculty as professor of psychology and history of civilization until his death in 1889.

Seaman A. Knapp, a native of northern New York, former superintendent of the Iowa School for the Blind, and professor of agriculture at Iowa Agricultural College, succeeded him as President on December 1.

Seaman A. Knapp

  Academic life:

In regards to the two-year course in Domestic Economy, "This course is based upon the assumption that a pleasant home is the surest safeguard of morality and virtue; and one of the essential elements of broad culture. Its aim is to prepare young women for the highest demands of home life," according to the I.A.C. Catalog. The classes included botany, Latin, rhetoric, domestic economy, chemistry, and history.

  Campus:

The Office Building (English Office Building) was erected for the offices of the president, secretary and treasurer at a cost of $3,117. It was used by the Building and Grounds Department (1904-1933), the Department of English and Speech (1933- ). It stood southeast of Beardshear Hall, before it was razed in 2004.

 There were also plans developed for the Veterinary Hospital (currently where the Memorial Union is located) and a new Hall for Mechanical and Civil Engineering.

Electric lights were first installed in Old Main.

Student life:

Candidates for entering the freshmen class had to demonstrate knowledge in English Grammar, English Analysis, Arithmetic, Human Physiology, and Algebra.

10 students graduated with engineering degrees.

 

  University:

Seaman A. Knapp resigned, and Professor J.L. Budd was acting president from December 1884 through February 1885. Professor Budd's daughter Etta, later became an art teacher at Simpson College where George Washington Carver was one of her students. She convinced him to transfer to Iowa State to pursue a career working with plants.

  Academic life:

Senior students in Geology used Joseph LeConte's Elements of Geology as a textbook (come see a copy in Special Collections, QE28 L496e2). Their time was divided among lecturers, a review of Iowa geology, study of typical fossils, and visits to local quarries. The students also spent time studying the rocks, minerals, and fossils in the College's collection.

  Campus:

The buildings, Veterinary Hospital (approximately where the Pine Room (Memorial Union) is located) and Sanitary Building, were built approximately on the site of the Memorial Union for a cost of $10,600. The Hospital included all of the "modern appliances for the treatment of diseased animals, and the Sanitary Building housed offices and classrooms," according to the I.A.C. catalog. Both buildings were torn down in 1926-1927 to make way for the Memorial Union.

Veterinary Hospital

Sanitary Building

The I.A.C. catalog noted 6 houses on the college grounds being used by professors' families.

Student life:

To be considered for admission, prospective students had to write the President, and request a Card of Enquiry. The Card had a number of questions to be answered considered essential to admission, such as,
1. Are you sixteen years old?
2. Are you proficient in the studies required for admission to the Freshman class?
3. Will you, if admitted, remain one entire term, unless prevent by sickness or unseen misfortune?
 

  University:

The College Hospital was established. It occupied the second floor of the Sanitary Building and was supported by taxing each student 60 cents per term.

Leigh S.J. Hunt, a public school administrator from Des Moines was appointed President on February 1. He resigned in 1886.
 

Hunt led an interesting life, and married an I.A.C. graduate, as noted in this University Archives biography:

Leigh S. J. Hunt was born in Indiana in 1855. He obtained his undergraduate degree through Middlebury College in Vermont via correspondence course. Hunt studied law independently and passed the bar in Indiana. He then taught at public schools in Indiana before moving to Iowa and becoming superintendent of schools at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa (1880) and East Des Moines Independent School District, Des Moines, Iowa (1882). Hunt became the third president (1885) of Iowa State Agricultural College (Iowa State University). His lack of experience and aggressive style of leadership led to conflicts with the students and faculty and he resigned in 1886 after only one year.

Hunt moved to Seattle, Washington, and over the course of his lifetime participated in a wide variety of successful business ventures. He became a newspaper publisher (1886), real estate developer, and president of a bank while in Seattle. Hunt also would operate a gold mine in Korea (1893), grow cotton in Sudan (1904 -1910), and eventually pursue mining, agriculture, and land development in Las Vegas, Nevada (1923 - 1933).

In 1885, Hunt married Jessie Noble (attended Iowa State, 1882) of Des Moines and had two children: Helen and Henry. Leigh Hunt died on October 5, 1933, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
 

  Academic life:

A freshman taking the general course in science, had to take the following courses:

First Term: advanced algebra, English language and composition, history or Latin, elocutionary drill, drawing, stockbreeding, and military drill.

Second Term: geometry, applied rhetoric or Latin, botany, zoology, elocution, drawing, practical horticulture, and military drill.
 

Advanced degrees in home economics were awarded to Nellie E. Rawson and Clara J. Hayes.
 

  Athletics:

Football scores included Building v College, 14-11; and a baseball game between the freshman and sophomores resulted in a sophomore win, 10-9.

  Campus:

As a marketing strategy, the I.A.C. Catalog noted that the "view of the surrounding country from the upper stories and towers of the Main Building is one of wide extent and great beauty."

Student life:

The total enrollment of resident graduates, seniors, juniors, sophomores, freshmen, special students, and sub-freshmen was 305. While there was no tuition charge for Iowa residents, a $15.00 fee per term was applied to out of state students.

The contract signed by every student read as follows:
"I hereby agree, on entering the College, in 1887, that I will respect and obey its laws, and, except in case of necessity, illness or unforeseen misfortune, remain the entire term on which I enter."

The use of tobacco was prohibited, as was intoxicating beverages and profane or obscene language.
 

  University:

William Chamberlain, secretary of the Ohio Board of Agriculture, was named president on July 20.

His University Archives biography:

William Isaac Chamberlain was born in Sharon, Connecticut in 1837. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Ohio where he attended Western Reserve College (Case Western Reserve University) and upon graduation (1859) was appointed instructor in Greek. After six years, Dr. Chamberlain returned to his family's farm and proceeded to study and conduct agricultural experiments related to farm fertilizers, drainage, and crop rotation. He published his studies in agricultural journals and became widely known for his investigations of agricultural issues. Dr. Chamberlain was elected State Secretary of Agriculture of Ohio (1880-1886) and was instrumental in setting up Farmers' Institutes in every county of the state.

Dr. Chamberlain's reputation was well-known when he became the fourth President (1886-1890) of Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. However, Dr. Chamberlain's presidency was a turbulent one. He regularly defended the college's curriculum which was often criticized by local citizens for not focusing enough on agriculture. On campus, many students opposed fraternities due to their secretive and exclusionary nature. Thus, his backing of student fraternities would eventually cost him the support of most of the students. He never did gain the favor of the faculty. Dr. Chamberlain resigned in 1890 and moved back to his Ohio farm where he continued to conduct agricultural experiments as well as write and lecture on agricultural issues. He served on the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University and the Ohio Experiment Station and became Associate Editor of the Ohio Farmer and the National Stockman and Farmer.

William Chamberlain married Lucy Jones Marshall on July 16, 1863 and they had six children. Dr. Chamberlain died on June 30, 1920, in Cleveland, Ohio.
 

  Academic life:

There were no textbooks to be used by the sophomores focusing on horticulture, as there had been nothing written about Iowa's prairie soil and climate in regards to small fruits, orchards, lawns, flowers, and forestry.

Professor Wynn, Chair of English/Latin/History retired after 16 years of service. General Geddes, Civil War veteran and Professor of Military Tactics, died. He had been involved with the university from its founding.

The Forestry and Horticulture report to the Board of Trustees discussed experimentation efforts with orchards of apples, pears, cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, almonds, grapes, and other small fruits.
 

  Campus:

In his report to the Board of Trustees, President Chamberlain noted that a Ladies' Hall, faculty housing, sanitary upgrades were the top needs for the campus, in addition to other student housing, recitation and lecture rooms for the departments.

Student life:
Students going to town had to register with the President's Office, and make sure their trip did not interfere with any college exercises.

The Health report noted the following illnesses among the students: measles (1); dysentery (3); sore throat (3); and fever (2).

The graduating class numbered 43; 4 of whom were women. President Chamberlain also reported that 31 of those were focused on agriculture, engineering, and veterinary medicine occupations.
 

  University:

The ordinary income of the College from land endowments, state bonds, and mortgages totaled $55,359.25 for the year.

  Academic life:

The Course for Ladies required four years and provided a thorough study of literature, with a smattering of courses in the natural sciences, and mathematics, resulting in the Bachelor of Letters (B.L.) degree. The courses were varied, and included domestic economy and laboratory practice, botany, zoology, French or Latin, history, German, English literature, Geology or Chemistry.

  Athletics:

A baseball league was organized with a pennant race between the classes. In the final game, the seniors beat the freshmen, 12-10.

  Campus:

The Experiment Station Building was begun, in order to fulfill the terms of the Hatch Act (1877) to "establish a research organization to advance science to solve problems for the food, agricultural and natural resource systems, and links with other land-grant university research programs across the nation in a vital research chain." An initial experimental project was planting an orchard with fruit tree varieties from Russia and China.

Student life:

Students suffered from both measles and German measles with 41 students afflicted.

The Welch Eclectic Society, a 5th literary group, was organized for gentlemen members only and was named in honor of former President, Professor Welch. The group presented a number of "eclectic topics," including why flooding the lower part of the Sahara would be good for the world, and Robert Ingersoll v. Ward Beecher, who was the better man?

May 25, 1888: Animosity between the students who were involved in fraternities (or secret societies) and those who were not finally boiled over. As reported by the Aurora, the anti secret society men of the college met to break up a joint meeting of 3 secret societies. President Chamberlain had given his permission for a dinner to be held in the Chemical and Physical Hall. A group of nearly a hundred students met outside the hall and they supposedly threw stones through windows, shut off the water, and released cyanogen gas into the lower halls in order to drive the participants out.

When it appeared that President Chamberlain was siding with the secret society students, the non fraternity students became increasingly agitated. F.E. Davidson was expelled, although later simply suspended, and eventually, he returned to Iowa State and founded the I.A.C. Student (the forerunner of the ISU Daily). President Chamberlain eventually resigned over his lack of control over the students in 1890.
 

  University:

The Agricultural Experiment Station was established on March 1. Robert Speer, former member of the Board of Trustees, was named the first director.

Commencement was held on November 14 with the graduating students' topics ranging from "Science and Poetry," "Women in the Medical Profession," "Street Pavement," and "Blight of Fruit Trees."
 

  Academic life:

There were 424 volumes added to the Library, and the Dewey Decimal system was implemented.

Professor Pammel, botanist, joined the faculty. From his University Archives biography:

Louis H. Pammel (L.H.) was born in LaCrosse, Wisconsin in 1862. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin, being the first student to receive a Bachelor of Agriculture degree (1885) from that institution. He graduated with honors for his research of parasitic fungi, including downey mildew of millet. Pammel also received his M. S. (1889) in agriculture from the University of Wisconsin and his Ph. D. (1898) from Washington University. He obtained training under such distinguished professors as Dr. William Trelease, Professor in the Shaw School of Botany at Washington University; Dr. E. A. Birge, Professor of Zoology and a President of the University of Wisconsin; Dr. C. R. Van Hise, Professor of Chemistry and Minerology, also a University of Wisconsin President (1903-1918).

In February 1889, Pammel came to Iowa State College (University) as Professor of Botany (1889-1929), a position made vacant by the resignation of Dr. Byron Halsted (1884-1888). In addition to teaching botany, he taught courses in Landscape Architecture (1889-1890). Pammel was also the Iowa State College Experiment Station Botanist (1889-1922). During Pammel's tenure, Iowa State became the first school in the United States to offer bacteriology courses to general students.
Pammel was also a well liked and respected by his students, many of which considered him a great influence in their lives. Among these students was George Washington Carver. In 1891, Carver became the first African American to enroll at Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (Iowa State University). Pammel encouraged him to stay at Iowa State as a graduate student after he completed his bachelor's degree (1894). Over the next two years, as assistant botanist for the College Experiment Station, Carver quickly developed scientific skills in plant pathology and mycology, the branch of botany that deals with fungi. He published several articles on his work and gained national respect. Carver completed his master's degree (1896) and was invited by Booker T. Washington to join the faculty of Alabama's Tuskegee Institute. Pammel and Carver remained in close contact after Carver moved to Alabama.

Pammel conducted research in plant pathology and in weeds, which resulted in numerous publications, including A Manual of Poisonous Plants (1910), Weeds of the Farm and Garden (1911), and The Weed Flora of Iowa (1913, 1926). Other research activities included the anatomy of seeds and plants of the legume family.
Pammel was a member of numerous professional and honor societies, including the Botanical Society of America, the Ecological Society of America, the American Society of Bacteriology, the St. Louis Academy of Science, the Biological Society of Washington and the Sierra Club. He was twice elected President of the Iowa Academy of Science; was vice president of Section G. Botany, of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and fellow of the AAAS. He was active in the creation of Iowa's state park law and served as the first president of the Iowa State Board of Conservation.

Pammel married Augusta Emmel of Chicago, Illinois in 1887 and they had six children, five daughters and one son. He died in 1931 on a transcontinental train traveling through Nevada.
 

  Athletics:

The I.A.C. Baseball Club won games over the Marshalltown Y.M.C.A. and Boone.

In football, the cottage residents ("cottagers") played against the boys in the "building" (Old Main). The building boys won.

The students continued to enjoy croquet and lawn tennis, and a Lawn Tennis Association was formed.

The Iowa Agricultural College Athletic Association was formed. The object was the promotion of healthful sports of all kind. There was a large membership and regular meetings were held every 2 weeks. All sorts of field sports were practiced, including running races and tug of war, and prizes were given.
 

  Campus:

A fruit house was constructed for $600 and a well was drilled near the horticultural barn for $230.25. A road was constructed leading from the cemetery to the campus, and Herbert Knapp built his house on campus. The location was on Knoll Road. The house became Coburn House in 1928, and was later moved across campus north of Pammel Road. It was razed in 1975.

Student life:

Members of the literary societies numbered 191 students. Students were entertained by musical selections from Iowa Agricultural College Glee Club (men) and the Philomela Club (women). There were 47 students in the graduating class.

For the Fourth of July, the campus celebrated by having a grand procession, dinners, fireworks, baseball, and boat and sack races.

Duff's Restaurant advertised ice cream, fresh oysters, nuts and candies for sale.
 

  University:

Former President and Professor Welch died on March 14 and funeral services were held in the chapel. A funeral procession led to his final resting place in the Iowa State Cemetery. The Board of Trustees stated that the College "has lost one of its oldest, ablest and most efficient supporters, friends, and instructors."

President Chamberlain, in his biennial report, felt it necessary to respond point by point to a Harper's Monthly article written by former Iowan, Justice Miller, a member of the Supreme Court where he criticized the accomplishments of the agricultural college. Chamberlain especially focused on the title of "agricultural college" as an "inadequate and misleading name."

As he states, "Not simple processes in agriculture, horticulture, and the mechanic arts are learned better and more cheaply in shop or on farm; not these do we teach largely, but related science, underlying principles, and processes too intricate or difficult for the unskilled, uneducated laborer. Thus alone can we fulfill our mission."

 

  Academic life:

J.E. Cobbey (Class of 1876) presented his work, The Law of Replevin, to the college library as "evidence that I have not been idle since graduation." The Aurora identified the following "interesting books," in the collection:
Ward: Timber and Some of its Diseases
Aitken: Animal Akaloids in Pathology
Rose: Modern Machine-Shop Practice
Bret Harte: Poetical Works
Walt Whitman: Poetical Works
Jonathan Edwards: Life and Ministry
 

  Athletics:

President and Mrs. Chamberlain hosted students at their home, The Gables, and the afternoon was spent playing lawn tennis.

The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletics Association was formed, with 16 Iowa colleges as members. A state field day was held at Grinnell, and the athletes participated in the 50 yard dash, the high jump, tug of war, and the 3-legged race. An I.A.C. representative won the baseball throw.
 

  Campus:

Morrill Hall was constructed to fill the need for a library, chapel, museum, as well as recitation rooms. Named to honor the Senator who had sponsored the Morrill bill, which had established the land-grant college system, Morrill Hall was built at a cost of less than $30,000.

Student life:

In addition to the 5 literary societies, the Directory of the Aurora (the student newspaper founded by those societies) included the Christian Association, the Veterinary Medical Society, and the Athletic Association.

The senior class motto was "We take no steps backward."

 

  University:

The Iowa Agricultural College Student began publication. From 1897 through 1947, it was known as the Iowa State College Student, and as of 1947, became the Iowa State Daily.

The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) were organized at Iowa State, taking the place of the previously founded Christian Association.
 

1891-1900 Coming Soon!