1924-1925 Academic Catalog

HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE At the meeting of the General ynod of the Reformed Presby– t rian hurch in orth Am rica, in Duanesburgh, . Y., May 24, 1 79 the Rev. J. F. Morton, . D., presented a paper which inaugur– ated' the movement in the church for a collegiate institution. This paper was unanimously adopte~, and a committee, of w.hich Dr. Morton was chairman, was appointed to carry out the proJect. At a lat r meeting of the ynod, Rev. John Alford, D. D., of Beaver Falls Pa., was appointed financial agent and succeeded in raising over '$10,000 in subscriptions an? cash throughou~ the. c~urch. duri~g the following year. At the meeting of the Synod m Cmcmnati, Ohio, the Rev. David Steele, D. D., on May 26, 1885, offered a resolution that the college be started as soon as possible and located in or near Cedarville Ohio. This motion was passed unanimously. The following 'committee was appointed to secure the site: Rev. J. F. Morton, D. D., Messrs, Thomas Gibson, R. Park, Hugh McColl um, Jr.; and H. H. McMillan. On January 20, 1887, the committee became incorporated under the laws of Ohio and on the 26th day of January, 1887 they obtained a charter for "The Cedarville College." On March 11, 1887, the incorporators met in Cedarville and elected themselves the first Board of Trustees of Cedarville College, with Mr. Thomas Gibs.on, president, who served in that capacity until bis death. At the meeting of Synod in May, 1887, the following persons were added to this first Board of Trustees: Robert Abbott, James Patterson, Alexander Kerr, and Ephraim Young. The enterprise then slumbered until the meeting of Synod in Cedarville in 1892, when the Ohio Presbytery reported that William Gibson, Esq., of Cincinnati, an elder in the Presbyterian Church of the city, had left $25,000 for the college in memory of his father, Peter Gibson, an elder o.f the Reformed Presbyterian congregation of Cincinnati Ior a long period of years. Again the Board of Trustees took up the work and at the meeting of Synod in Coulterville, Ill., on May 18, 1894, the college was launched with Rev. David McKinney, Dr D., as president, who served in that capacity for twenty-one years. Rev. J. F. Morton, D. D., was chosen vice-president. Rev W. R. McChesney, D. D., was chosen the first professor, beginning his work for t he college, July 10, 1894. Upon the resignation of Dr. McKinney in 1915, Dr. McChesney was elected president. The first faculty consisted of Rev. David McKinney, D. D., president; Rev. J1i;mes F. Mort~n, D. D., vice-president and professor English Bible; W. Renwick McChesney, A. M., secretary and professor of Ancient Languages; Carrie Blair, professor of Mathematics; Frank H. Dean, A. B., professor of English and Science; and Belle Beazell, professor of Music. <;)n September 19, .1894, the College was opened for instruction to th1rty-six stu~ents m the fine old mansion formerly owned by Rev. Hugh McMillan, D. D., the first pastor of the Main Street Reformed Presbyterian congregation of Cedarville. In this place three-qu~rters of a century ago, Dr. McMillan taught an academy from. which graduated a number of illustrious men. These quarter~ proving too hampered for the work, the new building was erected and ei:ter e.d t~e follo.wing year. The cornerstone of this building ~as laid with impressive services on June 25, 1895, and the dedica– tion took place during the meeting of Synod in 1896. Nearly three hundred young men and women have graduated ~rom ~he College and are successfully following honorable callings in var10us parts <?f the world. Cedarville College has a wide and favorable reputation for thorough work. It has been honored by PAGE SIX