Columbia College (Oregon)
Encyclopedia
Columbia College was a college in Eugene
in the U.S. state of Oregon
. Founded in 1856, the school was part of a system of churches established by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
. The school's building burned down twice before the school closed in 1860. Today, the neighborhood in Eugene where the school was located is known as College Hill due to the former college.
. Then at a meeting in Washington County
on April 7, 1853, leaders created a committee to make plans for a school. That committee consisted of J. A. Cornwall, D. H. Bellknap, and James Henry Dickey Henderson
, who on October 5 of that year presented a report recommending that funds be raised to establish a Presbyterian school in the territory.
The committee recommended raising $20,000 to start the school by selling scholarships at $100 each. They also said the college should be located between what was then Eugene City in the southern Willamette Valley
and Lafayette
at the northern edge of the valley. By December 1853 the plan was approved and the church began advertising to raise the funds. In 1854, a new committee was formed with Jacob Gillespie and Mr. Snodgrass, among others, to select the location for the new school, with the committee choosing Eugene on October 5, 1854. Gillespie, who was serving in the Oregon Territorial Legislature
, then introduced a bill in order to secure a charter for the college on January 11, 1855.
At that point the school was named Pacific College, but was changed by the legislative committee to Columbia College. That committee, consisting of Gillespie, Asa L. Lovejoy, and Delazon Smith
, returned the bill to the main assembly after a single day of consideration. A vote to pass the bill on January 17, 1855, was tabled
by David Logan
, but he then moved for a vote on January 20, and the bill passed, becoming law on January 24. The original charter called for a co-ed school, and was given to the church April 7, 1855. In May 1855, the board of trustees met for the first time and selected Samuel Dillard as the president of the board, and by October had secured 20 acres (8.1 ha) adjacent to Eugene and a 24 feet (7.3 m) by 48 feet (14.6 m) building to house the school was under construction. By August 1856, Enoch Pratt Henderson (brother of James Henry), a minister was hired to serve as president of the college, which he did from November 3, 1856 until September 19, 1859. The school opened on November 3, 1856, but did not start classes until November 17 with 52 students.
The school's new building burned soon after it opened, on November 20, in what was believed to be arson. Two-days later classes resumed at a rented home while plans were made to re-build. Within two-years enrollment grew to 150 students and a new building was finished. Classes were primarily preparatory classes during the existence of the college. The second structure completed in November 1857 was meant to be temporary, and it was, as it burned on February 26, 1858. Columbia tried to rebuild again, this time building a two-story building faced with sandstone. However, the new structure was not finished before the college closed.
lead to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church withdrawing their financial support for the school. The conflict arose, in part, as the debate over slavery raged in the east in what would eventually result in the American Civil War
. Parts of the church, based in Kentucky, supported slavery, while others were abolitionists. Slavery supporters attempted to gain control of the school's board of trustees, and eventually did in 1859, causing president Henderson to resign in 1859. M. I. Ryan then became the principal, who was pro-slavery, and in June 1860 he assaulted Byron J. Pengra before fleeing back east. The school also suffered from internal division over if religion should be taught in the school, as well as plans for another school in the Oregon Territory.
Meanwhile, Henderson sued the school for past wages, which led to the school declaring bankruptcy and closing its doors in 1860. The unfinished sandstone building stood until 1867 when it was torn down and some stones were used in the construction of a store on Willamette Street. The College Hill neighborhood in Eugene was named after Columbia College. In 1906, the city dedicated a monument to the school, located at Olive and Nineteenth.
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
in the U.S. state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Founded in 1856, the school was part of a system of churches established by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Cumberland Presbyterian Church
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Christian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening. In 2007, it had an active membership of less than 50,000 and about 800 congregations, the majority of which are concentrated in the United States...
. The school's building burned down twice before the school closed in 1860. Today, the neighborhood in Eugene where the school was located is known as College Hill due to the former college.
History
After the Cumberland Presbyterian Church split from the Presbyterian Church in 1810, the newer branch sought to found schools to educate ministers for future service in the church. As early as 1851, church leaders in Oregon discussed starting a school in what was then the Oregon TerritoryOregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
. Then at a meeting in Washington County
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
on April 7, 1853, leaders created a committee to make plans for a school. That committee consisted of J. A. Cornwall, D. H. Bellknap, and James Henry Dickey Henderson
James Henry Dickey Henderson
James Henry Dickey Henderson was an American farmer and politician from the state of Oregon. A native of Kentucky, he lived in Missouri and Pennsylvania before moving to the Oregon Territory in 1852...
, who on October 5 of that year presented a report recommending that funds be raised to establish a Presbyterian school in the territory.
The committee recommended raising $20,000 to start the school by selling scholarships at $100 each. They also said the college should be located between what was then Eugene City in the southern Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
and Lafayette
Lafayette, Oregon
Lafayette is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States on the Yamhill River and Oregon Route 99W. It was founded in 1846 and incorporated in 1878...
at the northern edge of the valley. By December 1853 the plan was approved and the church began advertising to raise the funds. In 1854, a new committee was formed with Jacob Gillespie and Mr. Snodgrass, among others, to select the location for the new school, with the committee choosing Eugene on October 5, 1854. Gillespie, who was serving in the Oregon Territorial Legislature
Oregon Territorial Legislature
Oregon’s Territorial Legislature was a bicameral legislative body created by the United States Congress in 1848 as the legislative branch of the government of the Oregon Territory...
, then introduced a bill in order to secure a charter for the college on January 11, 1855.
At that point the school was named Pacific College, but was changed by the legislative committee to Columbia College. That committee, consisting of Gillespie, Asa L. Lovejoy, and Delazon Smith
Delazon Smith
Delazon Smith was a Democratic Party politician who briefly represented the state of Oregon in the U.S. Senate in 1859. He served for less than one month , making his term among the shortest on record in the Senate...
, returned the bill to the main assembly after a single day of consideration. A vote to pass the bill on January 17, 1855, was tabled
Table (parliamentary procedure)
In parliamentary procedure, a motion to table has two different and contradictory meanings:*In the United States, table usually means the motion to lay on the table or motion to postpone consideration; a proposal to suspend consideration of a pending motion...
by David Logan
David Logan (Oregon politician)
David Logan was an American attorney and politician in the territory of and later state of Oregon. A native of Illinois, he moved to Oregon in 1850 where he served in the Oregon Territorial Legislature and in the Oregon Constitutional Convention...
, but he then moved for a vote on January 20, and the bill passed, becoming law on January 24. The original charter called for a co-ed school, and was given to the church April 7, 1855. In May 1855, the board of trustees met for the first time and selected Samuel Dillard as the president of the board, and by October had secured 20 acres (8.1 ha) adjacent to Eugene and a 24 feet (7.3 m) by 48 feet (14.6 m) building to house the school was under construction. By August 1856, Enoch Pratt Henderson (brother of James Henry), a minister was hired to serve as president of the college, which he did from November 3, 1856 until September 19, 1859. The school opened on November 3, 1856, but did not start classes until November 17 with 52 students.
The school's new building burned soon after it opened, on November 20, in what was believed to be arson. Two-days later classes resumed at a rented home while plans were made to re-build. Within two-years enrollment grew to 150 students and a new building was finished. Classes were primarily preparatory classes during the existence of the college. The second structure completed in November 1857 was meant to be temporary, and it was, as it burned on February 26, 1858. Columbia tried to rebuild again, this time building a two-story building faced with sandstone. However, the new structure was not finished before the college closed.
Closure and legacy
Conflict between church denominationsChristian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
lead to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church withdrawing their financial support for the school. The conflict arose, in part, as the debate over slavery raged in the east in what would eventually result in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Parts of the church, based in Kentucky, supported slavery, while others were abolitionists. Slavery supporters attempted to gain control of the school's board of trustees, and eventually did in 1859, causing president Henderson to resign in 1859. M. I. Ryan then became the principal, who was pro-slavery, and in June 1860 he assaulted Byron J. Pengra before fleeing back east. The school also suffered from internal division over if religion should be taught in the school, as well as plans for another school in the Oregon Territory.
Meanwhile, Henderson sued the school for past wages, which led to the school declaring bankruptcy and closing its doors in 1860. The unfinished sandstone building stood until 1867 when it was torn down and some stones were used in the construction of a store on Willamette Street. The College Hill neighborhood in Eugene was named after Columbia College. In 1906, the city dedicated a monument to the school, located at Olive and Nineteenth.
Notable alumni
- Joaquin MillerJoaquin MillerJoaquin Miller was the pen name of the colorful American poet Cincinnatus Heine Miller , nicknamed the "Poet of the Sierras".-Early years and family:...
- William ThompsonWilliam Thompson (journalist)Col. William Thompson was an American Indian fighter and journalist, the editor of multiple newspapers in Oregon and California, having his longest run with the Alturas Plaindealer....
- James F. WatsonJames F. WatsonJames Finley Watson was an American judge and politician in Oregon. A native of Iowa, he was the 25th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court serving from 1876 until 1878...
External links
- Image and brief description of Columbia College from the Historical Foundation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America