PAOF rOtIRTEEN Old Old Main, Only Campus Building, Houses Students, Faculty, Classrooms The history of the University almost can be told in terms of the history of one building —Old Main. For more than 30 years the original Old Main, started in 1856 and not completed until 1863, was the entire school. It housed everything at the agricultural school except the livestock—and sometimes even the livestock when prankster students installed a cow or mule in the tower or bedded down overnight some pigs on corn stalks in a classroom. The object was to horrify an unpopular professor when he opened the door in the morning. The present Old Main, which' occupies the same site as the orig inal structure, was completed in 1929 and is but one of about 100 major buildings on the campus. The early students at the Univer sity lived in Old Main, had all their classes there, took part in rhetoricals conducted by literary societies, studied in the library, performed experiments in the lab oratories, met with classmates and professors in common rooms, wor shipped in the chapel. In short, the one building was the center of all their school activities. Limestone Structure Tlie early building is described as a limestone structure, 240 feet in length, 80 feet wide and five stories high, with ample lodging rooms, chapel, library, lecture and recitation rooms, laboratories, cab inets, refectory, and infirmary, for 200 students. The older building had a domed cupola, and the tower was not built until 1896. Plans for establishing a school were first brought up by the Agri cultural Society of Pennsylvania in 1853. A charter was granted and 200 acres of land for the school was donated by James Ir vin of Centre County. Funds Donated To start, the board of trustees had the land, $lO,OOO donated by Centre County citizens, $lO,OOO given by the State agricultural so ciety, and $5OOO bequeathed to the school by Elliott Cresson of Phila delphia. The board planned to ask the legislature for $50;000 to add to these funds. The contract was let for $55,000 and work was started in June, 1856. After economic and labor difficulties, about one-third of the building was finished on Feb. 16, 1859, and it was opened to stu dents. About 119 of them arrived, many by bobsled from Spruce Creek and others from Bellefonte, the two nearest transportation terminals. School Isolated The school was isolated. The nearest postoffice was at Boals burg several miles away. Students rose at 5 a.m. and be gan classes, after devotionals and breakfast, at 6 a.m. The day was divided into periods of instruc tion and labor, one of the require ments being three hours work daily on the farm. This consisted primarily of picking up and cart ing off rocks. The Civil War interrupted plans to complete the building and the first Old Main was not finished until December, 1863. When com pleted, it contained 165 dormitory rooms, a library, four museums, two chemical laboratories, two lecture rooms, four recitation rooms, a large chapel, two assem bly rooms, a kitchen and dining room, and living quarters for pro fessors and their families. Women Admitted New curriculums were added and in 1873 women students were admitted for the first time. They were housed on the top floors of the west wing under the direct supervision of a lady principal. One of the features of the build ing not mentioned in current lit erature was the five-story privy erected at the back with entrances leading from each floor. Students called this noxious edifice the "shot tower." Water was pumped from an ar tesian well and in 1887 the build ing was lighted by incandescent electric lights. A fire in 1892 led to changes in Old Main. The roof was built higher, numerous gabled dormer windows were added to the attic, and a small tower was built on top. Small buildings to house var ious departments were built in the 1880's and in 1889 a large armory THE DAILY COLLEGIAN STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA it greeted .... first class a shortage of material and it was not until 1863 that the building, known then as Main Building, was finished. It housed all class rooms, living quarters for faculty members, and rooms for students. Fire in 1892 destroyed most of the building. University Archives Started In Early 1900's by Dr. Runkle The University probably has never had more reason to ap preciate the efforts of Dr. Erwin Runkle in the early 1900's than it does today. Dr. Runkle began the Penn State archives. The early records were housed in Carnegie Hall which, at that time, served as the library building. Dr. Runkle's collection served as the nucleus of the Penn State Room on the fourth floor of Pattee Library. This room has been' the source for the thotisands of historical articles which the Uni versity, through the Department of Public Information, is circulating in its Centennial year promotional effort. The Penn State Room houses the University's history. Files, book cases, and card catalogs hold the complete written record— presideitts' reports to the trustees, bound files of campus publica tions, alumni news issues, catalogs, and reports from each president's administration. There is a file of clippings of University alumni, and faculty and staff members who have been reported on in off-campus publi cations. One wall is lined by books written by University faculty members and alumni. Another file contains programs of events on campus by years and another holds thousands of early pictures. These become more and more valuable as time goes on. , Furniture used by past presidents, pictures depicting the growth of the University, and seals which have been used during the past 100 years are on exhibition. One of the most recent additions is a sedile—the chair used during graduation ceremonies during the terms of Presidents Sparks, Thomas, and Hetzel. Mrs. Thomas I: Mairs is in charge of the collection. She and her assistants do much of the collecting and supervising of the cataloging of material. Many students have found the room an interesting place in which to spend a few hours browsing through the University's past. • To the community of Penn Staters who have long been our honored guests it's been a pleasure serving you. We're looking forward to 100 more years of such -line company CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES i de , ct t on Route 322 2 Literary Sociefies Were First Activities Any student who didn't join one of the University's first two literary societies was considered a social • outcast and a curiosity, when the University was founded. • The Washington and Cresson literary societies were formed within two weeks of the founding of the UniveriitY, in 1859. . They were the social, intellectual, poli tical, and debating clubs of the school for 31 years until 1890. Membership was originally de termined by drawing lots but eventually by competitive rush ing of freshmen by the seniors. Each group had a hall, a piano, and a library. Dues Wera_noMinal —and hard. to collect , . The pro grams consisted of debates, es says, music, intermission, and the business meeting. • The success of the societies was probably due to the total lack of fraternities, dances, and other ace tivities. Coeds didn't appear on campus until 1871, and even , then they were scarce and dating regu lations were harsh. Dancing Was prohibited until 1890, Card games and drinking were not' allowed: Molasses Smearing Aside from pranks, s c h as smearing molasses on stair ban nisters during public meetings, stealing chickens from the campus farms, and replacing the oil in hall lamps with water, the stu dent had little relief from a staunchly disclined life. Thus, 7 p.m. Friday became the brightest hour of the week be cause the literary societies met lit their halls in the fifth floor of Old Main. The first campus publications, carrying editorials, programmes, jokes and advertisements, were published by the societies. The two groups carried on spirited but friendly rivalry in debating as well as for member ship. In 1891, the two societies de bated the topic, "Resolved: That Canada be annexed to the United States." Chicken or Eggs First At the meetings, the debate topics ranged from the intelli gence of women compared to that of men to whether sheep like cats. Typical topics for debate were: Labor, a blessing or a curse? Is a mad hog more dangerous than a mad cat? And, inevitably, Did the first chicken come out of an egg or the first egg out of a chicken? The decline of the societies, 30 years after their bir t h, , was blamed not on a lack of debate topics but on the rise of fraterni ties, which offered more social opportunities; on increased ath letic activities; and on the grow ing stress of technological stu dents, who . had little time for debates. The societies were formally It Has Now Been 25 YEARS That Penn State Students Have Been Shopping at the MEHIVALE SHOP for LINGERIE SWEATERS SKIRTS BLOUSES 139 S. Allen Street ruesbAY, imsittrAw 22..1955 Willard Taught Math Students For 30 Years By EVELYN ONSA Willard Hall is one of the most prominent sYmbOls of New Eng land's representation at the Uni versity—the building was named for Joseph Moody Willard, a New Hampshire man of old Puritan stock, who • headed the mathe maticsdepartment for 30 years. Willard, affectionately nick named "Joie" by his students.-- came to the University in the fall of 1893 with his wife Henrietta. They lived in Woman's Building before . moving into the yellow frame house west of the Pattee Library, . He was known for saying things in the simplest way possible. One Alma he sat in on a meeting of a committee which was trying to establish a conglomerate course of algebra, geometry, and triliOn" ometry in one three-hour course. After it was over be summed up his objection to - this by saYing that he was not at all convinced that hash was better food than meat and potatoes or that it • was as palatable. There was no more talk of introducing such, a course. ' He has the unique honor of hav ing two LaVie's dedicated to him by the classes of 1915 and 1935. His portrait, which hangs in the building bearing his name, was dedicated by' the class of 1910. Before he came to the Univer sity, Willard was a Phi Beta Kap pa at Dart Mouth. Then he took graduate work 'at Johns Hopkins University where he met his' fu ture wife. Thirty classes of Uni versity students can attest his ability as a 'teacher. He never wrote a book but, spent his time and devoted the rest of his life Ito the expansion and bettermeet of the University. banded in 1896. Their librarillB were combined too for the nu cleus of the University library, their halls became the office of the Yoymg Men's Christian Associ,. ation and a classroom.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers