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Historic Highlights

Founded in 1815, Allegheny College ranks among the oldest 1% of colleges and universities in the United States. As many as 100 colleges were established and failed before the Civil War. Allegheny is one of the hardy survivors of that time — demonstrating the determination and vision of those early pioneers of higher education in America.

Allegheny is situated in Meadville, Pennsylvania, which was established in 1788 in the French Creek Valley, astride the route traversed by George Washington on his journey to Fort LeBoeuf a generation earlier. In 1815, Meadville was still a raw frontier town of about 400 settlers, of whom an unusually large number had come from Massachusetts and Connecticut. They dreamed of a college that might bring the educational opportunities of New England to the frontier. The Rev. Timothy Alden was recruited to take on the task, and 2 months after his arrival in April 1815, Allegheny was established with Alden as its first president.

Within half a dozen years, Alden succeeded in attracting sufficient funds to begin building a campus. In the 1820s, the need of a building to house a library led to the construction of Bentley Hall. Designed by Alden, this handsome structure still crowns the hill on which the campus is located. It is named in honor of Dr. William Bentley, who donated his outstanding private library to the College.

Each year, as part of the Commencement ceremony, seniors march through the doors of historic Bentley Hall toward the adventures that await them. 

Bentley Hall Renovation

Iconic Bentley Hall recently underwent a multi-year historically sensitive and sustainable renovation to restore its luster as one of America’s foremost examples of Federalist architecture.

 

Celebrating 200 Years

In 2015, Allegheny celebrated its 200-year history and the extraordinary futures of the graduates of the next century. Since then, faculty, staff, and students continue to innovate within a unique and vibrant multidisciplinary learning environment, celebrating the achievements of students and graduates who go on to contribute to the world around them.

[Contains excerpts from Through All the Years: A History of Allegheny College by Jonathan E. Helmreich, Emeritus Professor of History and College Historian]

Historic Photos

Take a walk down memory lane with this collection of historic photos from the Allegheny archive.

Ida Tarbell, 1857-1944

Ida Minerva Tarbell (1857-1944), who went on to a notable career as a journalist and historian, is one of the College’s most notable alumnae. Her most renowned work was an exposé of the practices of oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller in her “History of the Standard Oil Company” in 1904. She later served the College as a visiting lecturer, course instructor, donor of books, trustee, and advisor to presidents, and her desk can still be seen in the special collections of Allegheny’s Pelletier Library.

Historical black and white photo of Ida Tarbell sitting at a desk

Campus, College Newspaper, 1876

The Campus of Allegheny College, the official College newspaper, was born in 1876. Initially funded by faculty members, the publication is now familiarly called the Campus.

The cover of a historical issue of The Campus of Allegheny College, the official College newspaper.

Newton Observatory, 1902

The 9-inch telescope installed in Newton Observatory in 1902 is still used today and considered of truly high quality. A sidereal clock installed the same year is now on display in Pelletier Library.

Newton Observatory

Rustic Bridge, 1910

Varying traditions surround the Rustic Bridge, constructed in 1910. In the first years after completion of the bridge, the Senior Class Day speeches were delivered from the bridge to the audiences seated below. The 13th plank — no one knows from which end — has remained an item of interest. In the mid-20th century, taking the plank liberated freshmen from sophomore tyranny. Tradition also said that a first-year woman was not truly an Alleghenian until kissed on the 13th plank. Even today it isn’t unusual to see the 13th plank missing at any time throughout the year.

Rustic Bridge, constructed in 1910

Senior Comp, 1951

One of the proudest accomplishments for any Allegheny student is the Senior Comprehensive Project, or “comp.” The comp is a significant piece of original, scholarly work required of all Allegheny students. A description of the senior independent project as a formal graduation requirement is first found in the Allegheny College catalog of August 1951.

A historical black and white photo of a female student with a shirt reading

Fun Facts

When you’ve been around as long as we have, you collect a lot of interesting historical facts.

  • Allegheny College was originally spelled “Alleghany College” when Timothy Alden first founded it in 1815.
  • Legend has it that Timothy Alden himself planted the great sycamore in front of Bentley Hall in 1822 under the classical belief that certain trees planted at the southwest corner of a building would bring prosperity to the building’s inhabitants.
  • Allegheny College is the oldest college in continuous existence under the same name west of the Allegheny Mountains.
  • In December 1905, Allegheny’s President Crawford presented his views about the moral health of intercollegiate sports to a meeting in New York City. Out of that gathering would come the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), with Allegheny as one of its 17 charter members.
  • In 1901, Allegheny became host to the 51st chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. The purpose of the society, from its beginning in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1775, was to promote scholarship, friendship, and, in more recent decades, the liberal arts.
  • The “Rules for Freshmen Men,” published in 1919-1920 “by order of the student senate,” included directives such as: 
    • Freshmen must use only the sidewalks on the campus
    • Freshmen must wear black sox and black sox only
    • Freshmen must build college bon-fires when so directed by the College Cheer-Leader
  • In 1906, Allegheny was one of the original institutions to establish the NCAA.
  • In a letter dated 1824, Thomas Jefferson praised the college’s library catalogue, saying “I had not expected there was such a private collection in the U.S.”

 

People From Our Past

A profile view of President Ron Cole speaking at a podium outdoors

Meet the individuals whose strong leadership and clear vision have enabled Allegheny to earn and maintain a premier reputation lasting more than 2 centuries.

Historical black and white photo of Ida Tarbell sitting at a desk

America’s first great investigative journalist, Ida M. Tarbell, graduated from Allegheny in 1880 and went on to write “The History of the Standard Oil Company.”

a group of people posing for a photo

Pennsylvania’s 39th governor, Raymond P. Shafer was a 1938 graduate of Allegheny who went on to graduate from Yale Law School in 1941.

Four people standing with the two in the middle holding framed documents

The Allegheny College Prizes for Civility recognized national figures, state individuals, and students who demonstrate a passion for, and clear understanding of, civility.

a bench on campus surrounded by flowering trees

James D. Chadwick was nearing completion of his senior year at Allegheny College when he enlisted in the Union Army in April of 1861. During his 3 years of service, he regularly wrote letters home to his parents, and they are now archived at the College. 

Stories

From defiantly bearded seniors to a pre-presidential William McKinley, here’s a handful of stories from Allegheny’s fascinating past.

Circle of Pines

In 1873, members of the graduating class planted a “circle of pines” — really Norway spruce — between present-day Ford Chapel and Newton Observatory. One tree was planted for each of the 15 members. According to legend, as a class member died, so too died a tree. By October 1935, only two trees were left, and only two members of the class remained living. It was then that the Class of 1915 planted 15 red pines in a circle 50 feet in diameter as a memorial to both the Classes of 1873 and 1915. An arc of three of these still stood in 2004.

In the first decades of the 20th century, tradition asserted that if a student held hands with his girl in the center of the circle on a clear night illuminated by a full moon, his wish to gain her heart would come true.

[Excerpt from Through All the Years: A History of Allegheny College by Jonathan E. Helmreich, Emeritus Professor of History and College Historian]

The First Diploma

The first Allegheny College diploma reflected Timothy Alden’s fondness for pomp. It also signified his deep joy in the achievement of his students. How else can we explain why Alden, a philosophical man of serious bent, should place Comus, the youthful Greek and Roman god of festivity, on the document signifying completion of Allegheny’s rigorous course of study? He apparently changed his mind, however, for the finished product displays not Comus with scrolls but rather busts of Homer on the left and Herodotus on the right above lists of local and distant donors.

[Excerpt from Through All the Years: A History of Allegheny College by Jonathan E. Helmreich, Emeritus Professor of History and College Historian]

Whiskers

In January 1911, inspired by the bearded countenance of popular Professor of Biology Robert S. Breed upon his return from Europe, senior men decided not to shave. The senior women were not impressed. They cut chapel and posed wearing white bows and carrying signs reading, “Our beaux are trimmed.” They refused invitations to class functions and would not allow their hirsute counterparts inside Hulings Hall. Their motto was “Lips that have whiskers can never touch mine.” The men replied, “Verily he that groweth a beard is greater than he who maketh many dates.”

The national press reported the beard problem at Allegheny. The men announced they would not shave until Washington’s Birthday dinner. Each Wednesday the men published Whiskers, a penny broadside that caught the eye of the Youth’s Companion. “Consider the whisker, my son, how it grows!” it quipped in mock Biblical style. “Yet Dr. Crawford in all his glory is not arrayed like one of these.”

The rage for facial hair spread to neighboring campuses and even to the battleship U.S.S. Georgia. The beards appeared in full force at the banquet as the seniors had vowed, and the next day they were gone. One “farewell edition” of Whiskers was published and its $7.13 profit donated to the Athletic Association.

[Excerpt from Through All the Years: A History of Allegheny College by Jonathan E. Helmreich, Emeritus Professor of History and College Historian]

William McKinley at Allegheny

There is confusion regarding the exact period McKinley was at Allegheny. Some College sources suggest 1859-60; others mention 1860-61. Because of his seminary studies, McKinley was admitted as a junior. Officially, however, the College listed him as a member of the Class of 1864.

McKinley fared well in his studies, thanks to his abilities and an amazing memory. He had a knack for quickly learning the faces, names, aspirations, and hometowns of nearly every student — a skill that would serve him well in his later political life. He was socially active and participated in “town-ball,” the team sport of the time.

A gifted debater, McKinley defended the abolitionist cause. He kept an even temper, and usually the debates remained dignified. He gave the impression of being a gentleman and was known as a model student who was always on time for classes but seldom early; he kept a disciplined schedule and was known for attending all recitation and chapel sessions as expected.

The reasons why McKinley did not continue at Allegheny are unknown. College legend has it that he was dismissed for the prank of putting a cow in the belfry of Bentley Hall. Beyond records of cows regularly appearing in Allegheny recitation rooms, no data supports this myth. There is better evidence that McKinley and his roommate lodged a goat in the belfry, a much easier task to accomplish than the alleged bovine prank. No record of punishment comes down to us.

In the summer of 1860 he returned to Poland, Ohio, to bolster his health and take a stopgap job in the post office there. While intending to return to Allegheny soon, the following winter he taught in the Kerr school district less than 3 miles from Poland. Following the outbreak of war, he enlisted in June 1861. Years later he would write to College President William Crawford that it was one of the greatest regrets of his life that he did not complete his studies for the College diploma. When he was governor of Ohio, McKinley did return to Allegheny as the 1895 commencement speaker and received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

[Excerpt from Through All the Years: A History of Allegheny College by Jonathan E. Helmreich, Emeritus Professor of History and College Historian]