March 11, 2010

Elston Homestead

While working on the Elston exhibit for the Lilly Library I came across some neat photos of the Homestead. 

I saw for the first time - and clearly - the Elston Homestead as it was when built.  These photographs are from the 1880's.

  

The photograph below is a zoom of the photo above. This picture was taken of the front of the house, as it was when it was built.

  

The doors that we can see clearly in this scan now lead from the entry hall into the kitchen, as there have been numerous additions to the north of the original house. The Homestead was built facing on to what is now Main Street. It had a long front yard and this wrought iron work at its front door.

In the early part of the 1900's two lots on Main were sold and two lovely homes were built there. At that time the house was re-oriented to the west, as was the original iron work porch. when IC Elston III bought the house in the 1920's, it was a bit dilapidated. Here is a picture of it at that time.

Here is a picture following the first remodel of the 1920's by IC Elston III .

A very different home indeed. Also very difference from what we know today. Ike had a wooden porch built on the Pike Street side. Really a different feel for the Homestead than we see today.

In this photograph we can see both wrought iron porches on the home. The one at left is, I believe, the original iron piece and the one over the front door is a replica.

The Elston Homestead has seen a lot of history since it was built in the 1830's - a lot of changes too! Yet it still serves as a place where things happen, a hub of activity and an exceptional home.  For nearly 80 years this home  was the scene of parties and picnics which included the movers and shakers from town and those from the College.

Following Ike's death, he willed the Homestead to Wabash for the use of her presidents. For nearly 50 years - the Homestead has been home to the President of Wabash College and continues to be a place where the town and gown meet for parties and picnics. A great homestead, a gift from a great family.

Best,

Beth Swift

 

 

 

 

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March 09, 2010

President Baldwin

Today I would like to share another of Emeritus Chemistry Professor David A. Phillips' excellent biographies - He has written a series of biographical sketches of the portraits in the Chapel. These sketches include Edmund O. Hovey and Caleb Mills, all of our past presidents and five former trustees.  Enjoy! Beth Swift

Elihu Whittlesey Baldwin (1835-1840)

 

Born in Durham, New York, on December 27, 1789, Elihu Baldwin graduated (cum laude) from Yale University in 1812 and from Andover Seminary in 1817.  In 1817 Baldwin was licensed to preach and established a Presbyterian church in Newberryport, New York.  Baldwin was a brilliant success, and by the 1830’s the congregation had grown to over 600.  And yet, when Edmund O. Hovey approached him with the offer of the presidency ─ “We want a college building, and more than all, a college head. Will you, my dear sir, come over and help us?” ─ Baldwin readily accepted the challenge and left his successful career behind him.  Even before his election on December 31, 1834, Baldwin began working with Hovey to secure the funds necessary for the establishment of the College.  Eventually, the two of them were able to raise over $28,000 from donors in New York and New England.

 

Although he reached Crawfordsville in October, 1835, Baldwin was not formally inaugurated until June 13, 1836.  His inaugural address set forth principles that seem as appropriate now as they did at the founding of the College.  “But I have chiefly in view, in my remarks on liberal education, the improvement of the mind…  Our purpose is never to rest while Wabash College shall lack any advantages for the student which are offered by the highest class of American colleges.”

 

As President, Baldwin labored mightily on behalf of the College, teaching classes, recruiting students, and raising money in Indiana, New York, and New England.  On September 23, 1838, a fire nearly destroyed the newly-erected South Hall (on the site of Baxter Hall).  This was a bitter blow, but the building was rebuilt and in use by the beginning of the 1839-1840 academic year.  However, the rebuilding effort had left the College’s coffers bare, forcing Baldwin to redouble his fund-raising efforts.  Eventually, these exertions took their toll on the President’s health.  Elihu Baldwin died on October 15, 1840.  He left behind an institution with a strong faculty, a growing student body, and a course of study comparable to those of the top eastern colleges.  In the five years of his presidency, Elihu Baldwin’s steadfast character and strong leadership had been vital to the success of Wabash College.

 

by David A. Phillips, Professor of Chemistry Emeritus

 

 

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March 08, 2010

The Wabash Patient

Hello!

While working on a query from a researcher, I came across this fascinating story and thought I would share it with you…

From the Wabash Record Bulletin of March of 1921 comes this lovely marriage announcement:

17 – The marriage of Miss Ruth Muehlmeier and Mr. Allen Dale Eby has been announced. The wedding occurred on New Year’s Day at Plymouth, Wisconsin.

During the war, while training as an aerial observer at Mt. Clemens, Michigan, Mr. Eby fell in an airplane from a height of 2,500 feet to the ground. The pilot was killed, and Mr. Eby, whose skull was fractured and body severely injured, was not expected to live.  That he did rally was due, as much as anything, to the devoted care of Miss Muehlmeier, an army nurse.

Note: photo as an example of  planes from this era  and the view from above, neither of these are Eby’s plane.

The acquaintance which began between Lieutenant Eby and Miss Muehlmeier when the former’s life seemed to be hanging in the balance grew into a friendship that later became the romance that was made known by the announcement of their marriage. Mr. Eby is a practicing attorney at Princeton, Indiana.

 

What a great story! Digging a little further brought this story from the Indianapolis Star of the mid-sixties, “…on that day (June 26, 1918) 47 years ago, Lt. Eby was flying on an artillery observer training mission at 2,200 feet when the plane went out of control over Selfridge Field, just north of Detroit, Michigan and crashed. The pilot was killed. Lt. Eby, although suffering a fractured skull and other injuries, survived but was hospitalized 16 weeks.” 

The two pieces have a discrepancy on the height of the fall either 2,200 or 2,500 – still either is a mighty long way to drop. In just a quick bit of research I found that there were many deaths among the early pilots. Lt. Eby was unbelievably lucky to survive such a drop though he clearly had excellent care to have survived such catastrophic injuries.  He lived a long and healthy life as a husband, lawyer, prosecuting attorney and then judge.

In 1919 Eby was licensed to practice law and in 1932 ran for the post of judge on the same ticket as FDR. He was elected six times to six year terms, often as the only Democrat on the ticket. In 1965 he received the Wabash Alumni Award of Merit.  Mr. Eby died the following year, a widely respected judge who lived almost 50 years longer than he might have done.

What a story!

Best,

Beth Swift

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March 03, 2010

Time travel II

In the previous posting I noted that Ralph Mount's primary sport was baseball, and with the season approaching, I thought I would share a couple of his sketches on that subject.

Here is another baseball themed sketch...

Mount's thoughts weren't all focused on baseball and fraternity life though...here is a pair of sweet drawings...

 

It looks like this was a good day for Wabash AND for Mount. What a treasure full of the student life and energy of that time - really a treat to study! Truly a bit of time traveling...

Best,

Beth Swift

 

 

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February 26, 2010

Time travel

There are some collections here in the Archives that have the ability to transport you to another time.  A couple of weeks ago we had an art class in the Archives really digging around. Among the things that they brought to light was a diary kept by Ralph D. “Hoggie” Mount, Wabash class of 1922. Beginning with January 02, 1921 and continuing through the end of the school year in June – Mount with his clever sketches of student life –really takes us back in time. 

This first image is the front page of his diary to which he has added two drawings – self-portraits, these figures represent Mount in the diary.

So who was Ralph DeWitt Mount? He came to Wabash as one of the Student Army Training Corps fellows during the first World War. After the SATC came to an end, Mount did what a number of other men did and stayed at Wabash. He was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity and President of the Pan-Hellenic Council. He worked on the yearbook, he managed the football team, but his primary sport was baseball.

 
The next page starts his story and establishes the format for the rest of the book. Each day is one page. In the upper left corner he gives us the weather for the day. Some terribly clever little weather drawings and commentary.

In this drawing for Sunday, January 2, 1921 we see Mount boarding a train for Indianapolis, the first leg of his trip back to school.

 

 

 

 

 

Student life in the Kappa Sigma house in 1921 – and so finely drawn. In this sketch we see Mount sleeping in and having a late breakfast.

 

 

 

 

 

Pledging, intramurals, house activities, weather and sports scores – a tidy little package. 

Mount was a very talented cartoonist and here are a couple of great cartoons. With all of this talent I wondered if Mount ever used these talents professionally – he did not, but clearly art was a passion his entire life.

From a letter back to the college in 1978 signed Ralph D. “Hoggie” Mount 1922, “Nothing of interest to report. 78^th birthday coming up on Sept. 16^th, ’78...I ‘eat-up’ with interest any and all information from and about Wabash! I’m doing quite a bit of oil painting, as a pleasant hobby, and TRY to play golf three or four times a week. Keep the news coming in any shape or form!”

 What a gift he left behind and what fun to page through it nearly 90 years later...

Best,

Beth Swift

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February 22, 2010

Who knew?

As the Archivist I receive research requests of all sorts. Everything from requests for information on great-grandfather's history while at school to information on a former faculty member. These requests are great and it is almost always the case that I learn something new about the history of Wabash. 

I had received a request from a researcher about the Ph.D. program at Wabash which began in the late 1880's and was discontinued in the early 1900's. The central question was did Wabash award any Ph.D. degrees earned "in course"? My first thought was no - so I turned next to that good old source - Wabash College the First Hundred Years, I read this on page 152,

“In   1887, Wabash, in addition to offering work for the A.M. degree, which had been provided for during Dr. White’s presidency, permitted work for the Ph.D. This degree was to be granted not less than three years after the attainment of a bachelor’s degree, and only on completion of two years’ resident graduate work. A printed thesis of high merit was also required. During Mr. Tuttle’s presidency (1862-1892) a number of students registered for graduate work; but none of them completed his Ph.D. requirements at Wabash. During President Burroughs’ administration (1892-1899) the faculty wisely abandoned the attempt to give work leading to the doctor’s degree.”

That confirmed my first thought...So I proceeded in listing the men who were a part of that program.  The first graduate student I encountered, Joseph Nelson Rose, caused me to pause. Rose, I knew, had done spectacular even groundbreaking work as a botanist. I also knew that he had studied under John Merle Coulter – one of the nation’s pre-eminent biologists. So I pulled his folder and there in a questionnaire answered in preparation for the 1912 Alumni Directory, Rose had noted that he had a Ph.D. from Wabash.

So now the digging started – turns out we awarded six Ph.D. degrees and here are quick summaries of the men who earned them…

Joseph Nelson Rose [W1885] was in the first class of post-graduate students and the first recipient of the Ph.D. Rose is described in the Wabash Magazine of 10/1886 as “the best scientific student…kept as a post-grad with a fellowship.”  Rose worked with John Merle Coulter here at Wabash for two years and was listed as Botany Assistant during that time. His degree was mistakenly classified as Honorary – but was clearly an earned degree. He completed the two years of study and produced, along with Coulter, an incredible paper entitled Revision of North American Umbelliferae which was printed in December of 1888 in Crawfordsville.  Later presidential correspondence confirms these statements.  

Robert N. Whiteford [Wabash class of 1890] studying English and German received his Ph.D. in 1893 and we have his thesis The Myth of Beowulf

Marion W. Baker [Wabash class of 1892] studying Philosphy, English and Literature received his Ph.D. in 1895 and we have his thesis The Authorship of the Fourth Gospel and the Apocolypse.

Walter Harrison Evans [Wabash class of 1887] studying Botany received his Ph.D. in 1895. No thesis found.

James G. McMurtry [Wabash class of 1893] studying German and Greek received his Ph.D. in 1899. No thesis found.

Charles Ezra Fisk [not a Wabash man, listed as M.A.] studying Education, History, Psychology received his Ph.D. in 1901. No thesis found.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The photo above is of Rose at his desk at the Smithsonian where he was Assistant Curator along with some of the specimens of cactus that were his academic specialty.

So, now we know, six men have received the earned Ph.D. from Wabash. Research requests sometimes pop up the greatest information - and this is certainly one of those times!

Best,

Beth Swift

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February 18, 2010

A new hall of sciences

Goodrich Hall now home to the Mathematics and Physics departments  was built in the late 1930’s as a hall of sciences at Wabash.  The new building was the result of two very determined men and a stiff challenge.

Former Governor of Indiana, James Putnam Goodrich was a member of the Board of Trustees from 1904-1940. He was President of the Board of Trustees from 1924 until his death in 1940. Goodrich was a fiscal conservative and the fact that Wabash was running a deficit bothered him greatly. In the middle of the Great Depression many things had been cut to the bone and still there was an operating deficit. Governor Goodrich told President Hopkins that if the college would balance its budget for three years running, he would fund a badly needed new building for the sciences.

The 1920’s had been good to Wabash…enrollment was up and the “Hell-roarin 500” as our student body was sometimes called, were full of spirit and optimistic. As the 20’s ended and our national economy went sour, many students had to leave college. There are those who never returned and there are those who, with great personal hardship and some clever financial assistance from Wabash, managed to make it through. It was a hard time in the history.

 

The Goodrich challenge was made at the height of the Great Depression, yet with extreme cost cutting measures, the goal was achieved. All maintenance was delayed. The buildings on campus were left unpainted and all other non-essential expenditures were put on hold. Dick Ristine used to say that the mall was cut once a summer, just before the students returned to campus in the fall, “whether it needed it or not!”  Even staff and faculty salaries were cut with the understanding that they would be restored as soon as practicable.

 

The new building for the sciences was a brilliant addition to the campus. Designed by the same architect as the Chapel, Goodrich made a truly lovely anchor for the southwest corner of the mall. In fact, that corner is still just brilliant. Truly these two buildings, Goodrich and the Chapel, are a great pair. How nice that they both still serve our college today!

Best,

Beth Swift

 

Photo above is of Goodrich Hall when first built.

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