The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-22
OLD HANOVER COLLEGE
SOME FACTS LITTLE KNOWN GOV.
CERNING THIS PIONEER SCHOOL.
1t Has Furnished an Interesting Chap
ter in Indiana History-Its Pic
turesquc Location.

Ansenslble he may be to the historical in
terests of the place, cannot but be i'm
pressed with the romantic beauty of it's
surroundings Not even Cornell from her
airy perch. looks down on such rich and
varied magnificence. The building more
stately and imposing than one would infer
from the pictures of it, and beginning to
look venerable with it's ivy-grown walls,
stands embowered in whispering groves of
locust, elm and maple, at the extreme
Verge-the threshold Of the State-directy
facing the towering hills Of our older sis
ter State across the river; and before and
on either hand the noble ranges reach away
through all the infinite blues of varying
distances. Far below spread the level bot
tom lands, teeming with the fruits of fat
SOIL, the dappled fields where the cloud
shadows drift showing no bigger than gar
den patches; and through all sweep the
great majestic bends of the Ohio. Nearer
at hand wild glens sink from sight in a
rolling tumult of verdure, and when the
1reshets are on, the drone of cataracts
must mingle with the sounds Of the recital
ton room.
But stimulating as this is to the magma
ton it is secondary to the inspirat alton
awakened when one looks into the earlier
history Of this institution. Not very much
has been written about Hanover College
Some fragmentary matter, including fugi-
tive articles in the college journal, are pre-
served In its library, but there is little that
is available to the public, and the very
interesting chapter it contributes to In
diana history is practically unknown The
best, and indeed the only full record of
that chapter is a manuscript left by the
Rev. John Finley Grove, and now in the
hands of the Rev & q TQaI Of h.
town of Hanover. If any one man could be
regarded as the very father of the institu-
ton, John Finley Grove its organizer and
nrst preceptor, was that man. and he spoke
with positive authority on all matters re-
lating thereto. The manuscript 232 pages
or closely-written foolscap chronicles in
detail the inception, growth and varying
fortunes of the school almost to the time
OF Mr.. Groves death. which occurred in
1861. For the better part of forty years
II mas been lying in oblivion and its
preservation in printed form along with
other valuable manuscript matter to be
found here and there in the State. should
be the task of some society interested in
the rescuing of historical documents.
ITS FOUNDERS.
hanover College had it's origin with a.
class Of people who certainly were a val
liable acquisition to the Territory of In
diana in those first days, and the history
or the school is an index to their cbarac-
ter. They were a community of Scotch
irish Presbyterians, originally from the
north OF Ireland, but directly from Virginia.
ana Kentucky who came seeking in the
new Northwest a homo more COMPATIBLE
than was the South with their ideas Of
liberty. Not only frugal and industrious
bur pmfNpntIv
ing kept abreast of the material wants, and
from tho beginning serious thought was
given to the religious needs. At first thew
were ministered to by travelling mission
aries who came in from the settled States
by the way OF the old river road and
preached at private houses. BY the early
zOs Hanover Church $50 named as a COM
pnInent TO one Mrs. Searls who had come
from Hanover, New Hampshire was es-
tapnshed, with John Finley Grove as pas
Tor In time it became manifest to the
Presoyterians of this region that a minis
try, 10 be permanent and effective must he
built up of men native to the West and in
ured to pioneer life There must no
an adaptation to conditions; and this senti
ment was the cause of the college. For
various reasons the Hanover neighborhood
was thought the best place for a Presbv-
terrain school, and here, on the first of Ian
uary. 1897 it was formally opened as a
grammar school, with Mr. Grove as
teacher. Tho pupils consisted of six bows
ana that grammar school, says the
NroWe MS, soemnly dedicated to
Almighty God as nursery of the
gospel ministry, was nursery of both
hanover College and the Theological Semi
nary The sessions were held In DIR
Groves ltffln rac
when his wife's domestic affairs permitted
and when they did not the school repaired
10 the loomhouse, a log structure of one
room, devoted to the family weaving An
anecdote tells that one of the bows chalked
Hanover College on the Ioonbouso
DOOR 1t was done in a spirit of lest bur II
proved prophecy. OF these six first
Pupis -FOUR became ministers, according to
the casual statement of one writer but
In the General Catalogue of Students. nub
Hshed IN 1890 find that lit is impossible IN
determine definitely who the six bows
We're" am happy to be able to SUNNY
the lost information. Mr.. j. M. Tlford
FORMER proprietor of the Indianapolis Jour-
raj and now at the age of eighty-sever
residing in Irviugton is the last SURVIVING
member of that historic class His class.
mates he gives as David Smock James Me-
Mutt, Noble Butler, Samuel baltimore and
Daniel baltimore. j. NJ Tliford made the
sixth Two of them came from Vernon
ana the others were country lads of the
neighborhood
A THEOLOGICAL. SCHOOL.
Ihe embryo college grew. first to fo,,r-
teen' then to twenty, and finally If was
ooiised TO migrate from the loomroom to
the meeting house. In two wears the
grammar school ba1
over Academy" and in January of 1890 u,as
Incorporated as such by the Legislature In
mat year also the Presbyterian SYNOD of
Indiana adopted the academy as a SYNOD
lcal school, and a theological department
was established. Next, good-sized two
story brick building was erected; then as
the number of students increased tho
boarding and lodging of them became
problem, and in 1882 the town of Hanover fat
nrst known as South Hanover) was founded
by Judge Williamson Dunn. But back Of tbis
progress lay the most heroic effort. These
people. though rich in spirit and prodfgaI in
ZEAL We're financially, very poor and their
struggles from the first would be pathetfc
tfq the iron will and manhood of II LEFT
room for any sentiment other than adrnira-
tion and respect. That old Scotch-Irisb
stock was of no ordinary timber and II
proceeded by the motto that where there
was will there must be a way A very few,
of them were fairly well-to-do and could af-
ford Ia he more less Iharai