Jefferson County Online A part of the IAGenWeb and USGenWeb Projects The State of Iowa The Agricultural College and Farm

The Iowa State Agricultural College and Farm were established by an act of the General Assembly, approved March 22, 1848. A Board of Trustees was appointed, consisting of Governor R. P. Lowe, John D. Wright, William Duane Wilson, M. W. Robinson, Timothy Day, Richard Gaines, John Pattee, G. W. F. Sherwin, Suel Foster, S. W. Henderson, Clement Coffin and E. G. Day; the Governors of the State and President of the College being ex officio members. Subsequently the number of Trustees was reduced to five. The Board met in June, 1859, and received propositions for the location of the College and Farm from Hardin, Polk, Story and Boone, Marshall, Jefferson and Tama Counties. In July, the proposition of Story County and some of its citizens and by the citizens of Boone County was accepted, and the farm and the site for the buildings were located. In 1860-61, the farm-house and barn were erected. In 1862, Congress granted to the State 240,000 acres of land for the endowment of schools of agriculture and the mechanical arts, and 195,000 acres were located by Peter Melendy, Commissioner, in 1862-3. George W. Bassett was appointed Land Agent for the institution. In 1864, the General Assembly appropriated $20,000 for the erection of the college building.

In June of that year, the Building Committee, consisting of Suel Foster, Peter Melendy and A. J. Bronson, proceeded to let the contract. John Browne, of Des Moines, was employed as architect, and furnished the plans of the building, but was superseded in its construction by C. A. Dunham. The $20,000 appropriated by the General Assembly were expended in putting in the foundations and making brick for the structure. An additional appropriation of $91,000 was made in 1866, and the building was completed in 1868.

Tuition in this college is made by law forever free to pupils from the State over sixteen years of age, who have been resident of the State six months previous to their admission. Each county in the State has a prior right of tuition for three scholars from each county; the remainder, equal to the capacity of the college, are by the Trustees distributed among the counties in proportion to the population, and subject to the above rule. All sale of ardent spirits, wine or beer are prohibited by law within a distance of three miles from the college, except for sacramental, mechanical or medicinal purposes.

The course of instruction in the Agricultural College embraces the following branches: Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, Botany, Horticulture, Fruit Growing, Forestry, Animal and Vegetable Anatomy, Geology, Mineralogy, Meteorology, Entomology, Zoology, the Veterinary Art, Plane Mensuration, Leveling, Surveying, Bookkeeping, and such Mechanical Arts as are directly connected with agriculture; also such other studies as the Trustees may from time to time prescribe, not inconsistent with the purposes of the institution.

The funds arising from the lease and sale of lands and interest on investments are sufficient for the support of the institution. Several College Societies are maintained among the students, who publish a monthly paper. There is also an "out-law" called the ATA, Chapter Omega."

The Board of Trustees in 1877 was composed of C. W. Warden, Ottumwa, Chairman; Hon. Samuel J. Kirkwood, Iowa City; William B. Treadway, Sioux City; Buel Sherman, Fredericksburg, and Laurel Summers, Le Claire. E. W. Starten, Secretary; William D. Lucas, Treasurer.

Board of Instruction.--A. S. Welch, LL. D., President and Professor of Psychology and Philosophy of Science; Gen. J. L. Geddes, Professor of Military Tactics and Engineering; W. H. Wynn, A. M., Ph. D., Professor of English Literature; C. E. Bessey, M. S., Professor of Botany, Zoology, Entomology; A. Thompson, C. E., Mechanical Engineering and Superintendent of Workshops; F. E. L. Beal, B. S., Civil Engineering; T. E. Pope, A. M., Chemistry; M. Stalker, Agricultural and Veterinary Science; J. L. Budd, Horticulture; J. K. Macomber, Physics; E. W. Stanton, Mathematics and Political Economy; Mrs. Margaret P. Stanton, Preceptress, Instructor in French and Mathematics.