Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1872-10-22
SAMUEL DOAK.
The Founder ef Washington,
College. ---


4 correspondent of the Grcenville
Repo; ter, writing from the
Va. Theological Seminary furnishes
the following interesting account, of
one Of the most remarkable pioneers
of education in East Tennessee =
This good old man has been for fifty
two years in the dust. but the mem
orv of his noble works still blooms in
in our land Many splendid intel
lect can trace its development
through ancestral characters to Sam.
uel Doak.
a few days since while looking over
the Library of the Seminary, l came
across a book containing q short histo-
ry of the Alumni of PRINCETON Col
Iere, and knowing that the founder of
Washington College, as we'll as our
own Alma Mater, graduated there, |
turned and found the following sketch
which copy, thinking that it would
be interesting to your many readers
and especially TO those who were ac-
quaintpd with him:
" Samuel DOak, a son OF Samuel
Daak and Jane Mitchell, was born IN
Augusta county Virginia. in Aug. lI49.
After graduating he assisted tile Rev.
DR.. Smith, in his school at Pequa,
Penn. Shortly after this he became
tutor i'm Hampden Sydney College,
and pursued his Theological studIes
under Dr. J. D. Smith. the President,
and afterwards with Rev. VIM. Gar
ham, at Timber Ridge. He was Ii
censed to preach by the Presbytery of
Hanover, Oct. 81, III. soon after he
removed to Holston. i'll what Is now a
mart of East Tennessee. How he was
in the midst of danger from the sava-
ges. On one occasion his wife was APP
prised by the barking OF the dogs that
the Indians were near. Taking her
infant in her arms, she stealthily fled
to the woods, and from her hiding
place she saw the house and all it con-
tained burned 10y the savages. After
residing in HolstOn a year or two, Mr.
Doak removed to Washington county,
and purchased farm and put ItaupsmaH
church edifice and building of logs
IOT Il SCtlOtDl llOuSts
tuition which he here started. was the
first ever established in the Valley of
the Mississippi In 1885, it was incor-
porated, with the name of Martin
Academy and in 1875 it became Wash
ington College. From its incOrpora-
ton as an Academy until 1918, Mr..
DOak continued 10 preside over it and
the elders of his congregation formed
a part of its Board of Trustees. While
Mr.. d., was attending a meeting of
the General Assembly in Philadelphia
he received a donation of books for his
College, which he carried in q sack up
on a pack horse five hundred miles
through forests and over mountains,
and this constituted the nucleus Of the
Library of Washington College. In
1918 he resigned the Presidency and
removed to Bethel in the same State,
and opened private school which he
called Tusculum, which has since, un-
der his son, grown into Tusculum Col
lege.
Mr.. DOak was also successful in his
ministry. Several powerful revivals
occurred in connection with it; and
many churches were founded by him.
he was distinguished for his talents
and his usefulness, and may be consid>
cred the Apostle of Presbyterianism,
in Tennessee. His style of preaching
was original, bold, pungent and some
ti,npS pathatic He died Oct g. 1870 ~