|
|
|
|
|
||
The BeginningNorthwestern University was founded in 1850 in Chicago when nine idealistic young men dedicated themselves to building a Christian university that would serve the educational needs of the old Northwestern Territory. After having been granted a university charter from the State of Illinois on January 28, 1851, the founders raised money to finance the institution and purchased a 379-acre farm, then mostly swamp and wilderness, 12 miles north of Chicago on the shore of Lake Michigan in the township of Ridgeville. A small village, which as late as 1860 had a population of only 831, grew up around the university and was named for university founder John Evans. The Chicago and Milwaukee Railroad connecting Chicago and Waukegan ran its first train through the village of Evanston in the summer of 1855.In 1855 a three-story frame structure, later known as Old College, was erected on Davis Street. The building, 50 feet wide and 40 feet deep, was topped by attic and belfry and provided space for most of the university's needs--six classrooms, offices, a chapel, a museum, rooms for two debating societies, and three attic rooms for students who reimbursed the university for their lodging by ringing the college bell. The first classes, held on November 5, 1855, with four of the 10 students enrolled present, were conducted by a faculty of two men, Henry S. Noyes, professor of mathematics, and William D. Godman, professor of Greek language and literature. On June 26, 1856, the Board of Trustees met in Old College and as, part of their regular business, appointed a Committee on Library, consisting of three of its members, Nathan S. Davis, Orrington Lunt, and Grant Goodrich. The committee's two recommendations reflect the idealism and commitment of the founders. The first was that $1,000 be spent for the purchase of books and "the commencement of a library" and the second that this amount be expended for library needs annually. At a subsequent meeting of the trustees on July 21 of the same year, the newly elected president, the Reverend Randolph Sinks Foster, was granted his request to continue to serve as pastor of Trinity Church in New York until May 1857. The board also agreed that the salary of $2,000 which would have ordinarily been paid him instead be allocated to the library. At the first faculty meeting on September 16, 1856, the entire faculty--consisting of two, Henry S. Noyes and William D. Godman --met with newly elected President Foster and agreed, in his absence, to divide the various administrative duties between them: Noyes agreed to administer student discipline and act as university treasurer, and Professor Godman agreed to be secretary and librarian, thus setting a precedent of faculty administration of the library which would last until 1876. Since that day 18 men and women have had charge of the library:
Click here to read next section: The Library in Old College |
|
||
 |
|
|
| Rev: March 3, 2001 | |
{email} |
|
Internal Links: NUcat
| Electronic Resources | Course
materials and reserve | Electronic
reference tools | Catalogs from other libraries
External NU Links: Northwestern Home | Calendar: Plan-It Purple | Search | Directories Northwestern University Library · 1970 Campus Drive · Evanston, IL · 60208-2300 © Copyright 2005 Northwestern University Library. World Wide Web Disclaimer and Policy Statements |
||
