Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1892-10-27
TRIP TO WASHINGTON COLLEGE.
Interesting Gossip of the Historic Old
School and Its Founder.

Mr.. EDIToR-An account of a flying
trip to Washington College and other
points in that vicinity in pursuit of the
festive subscriber may not be uninter-
esting to the readers of the Herald and
Tribune. A three mile tramp through
the woods and past prosperous looking
farms brought me to Washington Col
lege and to the hospitable home of E.
q. S. Mathes just in time for supper.
Sunrise of the nextday found me view
ing the beauties of the landscape from
the elevation ON which stands the his.
toric Salem Church. One hundred and
ten years ago there stood upon this
same elevation two bold and hardy pi-
oneers who had pushed their way
through the wilderness from the Shen-
andoah Valley in search of a new
home, and had stopped at the spring
at the foot of this hill, where three
coon hunters had just chopped
down a large tree to dislodge a wary
old coon which had taken refuge there
from the dogs. The coon hunters ask
ed the travellers names and business,
and n replied my name is Alex
ander Mathes, and l am a millwright
and farmer, prospecting for land and a
millsite :" and his companion said 81
am Samuel Doak, a school teacher and
a preacher, and l am looking for a
place to build a school" The spokes-
man of the coon hunters remarked
very earnestly, well, l would like
damn well to hear you preach" The
afterward famous Samuel Doak, DID,,
mounted the stump of the fallen coon
tree and produced his bible. Soon the
hills reverberated with the voices of the
two young pioneers in a song of praise
to God, and the hunters removed their
coonskin caps and seated themselves
upon the fallen log. The young preach
er from the far eastern valley gave out
his text and preached with as much
pathos and vigor as if his congregation
numbered hundreds, and every word
was devoured by his little congregation
as if they had never heard such words
before. After the benediction they
warmly shook his hand, and one said
mister, build your school right here,
and we'll help" Doak surveyed the
country with a critical eye for q mo-
ment and said 81 will build my school
right here" Soon after the farmers
and hunters of that sparsely settled re-
gion united their efforts and there
arose ON the site of the coon hunt a log
house forty eight feet long and twenty
four feet wide, which answered the
double purpose of church aud school,
until 1925. Four years later, 1889, a
charter was granted for the school I'M
der the name of Martin Academy,
by the State of North Carolina, which
was the first charter granted to any
institution of learning west of the
Blue Ridge and south of the Ohio
River. The school continued to grow
under the guiding hand of Rev. Sam
uel Doak until 1895, when the name
was changed to Washington College,
and a new charter obtained from a
new government, as you will see by
reading the following extract taken
from the charter, as it appears in the
old college journal of that time:
IAN Act for the establishment of
Washington College at Salem, in Wash
ington County, so called in honor of
the illustrious President of the United
States; Whereas:
1.-THE Legislature of North Carolina
established an academy in Washington
County, by the name of Martin
Academy, which has continued for ten
or twelve years past under the Presi-
dency of Reverend Samuel Doak, and