The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1870-08-12


3aentatculture around you, or d proposition
40 inaslgnrate, foster and encnpraee educar,
at -. =! tseifities. - a.
~ can reihember Hartford for the long be-
riod IF nearly 60 years-have bean Upon
SneaIly eYer8bsq uare foot of its soil, from the
short of the chesapeake to the line J6f
York, from tile Susquehanna to the Little
Falls of GHhpowder, and l have never
seen 4 college within its limits, either male
ar female, nor do | know that you ever have
ahah ene a Ii is true, Ihayey seen old people
4 AdHA SSgoing away back 10 The pdint1at
winch tiis il memory commenced, could,tell
OF u male college that once adorned and
honored-y our modest little village of Abing-
don, but with itssdestruetion by fire not
htr trDm the beginning of the present cen
tury&seems to- have, died, if not all the as
pirations, at least all the, energy OF your
people, to promote among themselves the
means Of attaining the highest grade of
intellectual culture.
@' am not acquainted with your county
schools, and you doubtless have good ones,
but have you one that is equal to that at
Princeton, Cambridge, Carlisle, Charlottes-
vile, Lexington, or many others it is I'M
necessary to name? imagine not, and yet
there is no reason in the world why \ Ju
should not sliave, 'butitenl thousand REASONS
why you should. Hartford is too large IL
ceuhty, too4Wealthy and too Intelligent, mot
tn have, within her OWN boundaries, first
class colleges for her sons and daughters;
and it seems to me, Messrs. Editors, if
had control Of one of your journals, would
ring it in the ears Of the people till drove
thenEto work in very sell. defence. '"l
Soma :, 4 H,a,, a.a IA, ifna,r;na RI n
this mountain country inwhioh live is in
the back wootls,n aid So it is, compare
tigelg but with less than half your popu-
laton add wealth, it has one OF the best
and most prosperous male colleges in the
South or anywhere else, three large female
colleges, and any number of academies and
schools all over it, accessible to all the
children, and taught by competent instruc-
tors trained in our own not Yankee col
legcs. n
| propose, for your encouragement, rs
well as an incentive, to give you IA brief
history ofour male college, which will serve
to illustrate what wonderful results may be
accomplished by determined effort with
small means. lN
In the autumn of 1894 the Holston Con
ference Of the NJ. i. Church, then holding
It's session in Knoxville, and comprising
| within its limits East Tennessee Western
North Carolina and Southwestern Virginia,
feeling the great want of school of the
highest Grade for the benefit of the young
men Of the country, and the inability of
the many To send their SONS to d istant IN
stitutions, determined 10 make the effort,
and appointed an age 4 to solicit subacrip-
tions and a committee to select location.
Rev. Creed Fulton, gentleman of superb
or attanments, accomplished address, and
indomitable energy, received and accepted
the agency, Immediately came to Abingdon,
put up with and Consulted Mr.. Alexander
Findlay, whose heart was in the enter
Prise, and receiving the encouragement of
other influential gentlemen, went tn work
in earnest, Leaving Abingdon, he made
his headquarters at the residence of Col
VIM. Byars, wealthy gentleman near
Glade SPRING, few miles in the country.
At the suggestion of,Col. Ryars, he called
hia first meeting at Glade Spring Church,
Ca Pre8by terian house of worship, and "A
II Presby terrain community The meeting
Z, WAS well attended, and Mr. Fulton address
ed the audience upon the subject OF his
mission, and intinated that he had selec-
ted that ncghhorhood for the location of
1.-THE college. Books were then and there
opened Col. Byars heading the list with u
subscription OF 5000. Several Others fol-
lowed the good example till the amount
reached near $4,000. ........ .....I
Mr.. Fulton, greatly encouraged from SO
liberal beginning, returned to Abingdon,
called meeting of the citizens, presented
the claims of the proposed Institution,
received subscription quite as liberal
and then itinerated through the country
until he lad secured an amount that au-
thorized the converting of the committee At
Abingdon for the purpose Vi selecting and
purchasing Il location and commencing the
erecLoiRof the buildings. The design was
to have Il manual labor college, in which
the pupils, paid 10y the hour for working
ut agricultural or mechanical pursuits
could pay portion of their college expen.
SEES. With this view, through the aid OF
Messrs Findlay and Byars, II farm of 600
acres was purchased at $3.50 per acre cash,
and arrangements at once entered into to
erect suitable buildings-the gentlemen
Just named being the building committee.
AS the farm had been purchased upon
the pay down principle, and the agent not
having realized any funds, Mr. Findlay, on
his own responsibility and at his own risk,
borrowed $4,000 from bank in Knoxville,
for which he executed his bond. This
virtually started the great work, which has
been such success and such blessing to
all this mountain region ard to States adj
Joining. The money being paid and the
deed obtained, Messrs. Findlay and Byars
took possession, employed farmer and
hands, went to fencing and repairing, and
made crop They did not submita plan
and let out to the lowest bidder, but, con
tracted to pay so much per 900 for brick,
50 much per yard for plastering, so much for
frames, flooring, &c, and purchased all the
lumber themselves, thus securing the very
hest materials. They employed Mr.. Geo.
Winnitord, practical and reliable carpen
ter, to superintend the work, and he was
faithful to his trust. Neither of the com
mittee had II knowledge of architecture,
but Mr.. Findlay drafted the plan of the
college and Col Byars that of the boarding
hail. both large and convenient buildings,
tho not quite as prepossessing in appear
ance as more modern public editces. They
gave the work their constant attention,
Col Byars, living within two miles, visited
it almost daily, and Mr.. Findlay, living
nine miles of, devoted two days out of
each week to the work-and this they con
| tinuc1 until tho huillin ne ,vnrn c,,nnlotal