Repository: UIHistories Project: Book - Early History of University (1916) [PAGE 46]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

ANNALS OF T H E UNIVERSITY

1862 Act passed by Congress, and approved July 2, 1862, donating public lands, on the ratio of 30,000 acres for each Senator and Eepresentative, to the states and territories which would provide colleges for the benefit of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, The grant was to be accepted and applied to its uses before July, 1867, or it would revert to the government. Illinois entitled to 480,000 acres under Act. The University realizes annually from the Act five per cent on about $610,000 and deferred payments on land contracts amounting to about $35,000. 1863 The Legislature of Illinois accepted the grant Feb. 14, 1863, discussing the matter for some time without being able to come to any agreement on the details of the proposed college or on its location. Some wished to divide the money among the existing colleges, provided they should establish schools of this nature; others wanted to establish a school to teach Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts; and some would attach a new school to the Normal University. 1864 At the State F a i r held in Decatur in 1864, committee was appointed by the State Agricultural Society to take up the matter and present some definite plan to the Legislature, Committee composed of Wm. H. Van Epps, Prof. J. B. Turner, A. B. McConnell, B. G. Boots, and John P . Reynolds. Jan. 8, 1865, they drew up a bill as an expression of the views of the farmers, and presented it to the Legislature in 1865, and again in 1867. 1865. Dec. 14—State meeting of all those interested in the organization of the proposed Industrial University held at Bloomington. Meeting recommended that tho state build only one university. 1866. Sept. 21—Notice published of an informal election to be held in Champaign county ou Oct. 10, by order of the board of Supervisors. The voters were to decide whether or not the county should appropriate $100,000.00 worth of Champaign county bonds " t o secure the location of the Illinois Industrial University in this county." Oct. 5—Proposition of Champaign and Urbana was to purchase the building then standing^ called " T h e Urbana and Champaign Institute Building," popularly

Jonathan C. Stoughton, J . E. Babcock and George Harvey had started the Jjuilding in 1860 intending it for an institution of higher education for young men and women, figuring to make their profits from the sale of adjoining lots. Undoubtedly if ^ » W * n f ™ ^ been ready for occupancy, the Legislature would never have voted to locate the university at Urbana-Champaign.