Oregon State University Academic History

The “College Town” exhibit at the Benton County Historical Society's Corvallis Museum has items related to Oregon State University's administration (typewriter, registrar's computer), student life and customs (dorm photo, quilt, Lady of the Fountain) and athletics (basketball, Rose Bowl items).  The academic side of  Oregon State University is represented by Peavy's ax, symbolizing the Forestry program, and many works by the Art Department faculty. As a former member of the Oregon State University faculty, I wish we had more objects relating to the academic programs to display.  I know, however, that it is difficult to find relevant objects because the nature of the academic mission is inherently internal—to foster change (learning) in the individual student. Most related items would be written documents that are not especially visually interesting. The sewing samples featured in the last post are a rare example of three-dimensional student work that has survived. In addition, at the time the historical society acquired the Horner collection, the university retained many items for its archives.

The museum does, however, have several photographs which illustrate the academic side of the university.  After the institution became the land grant school for the state of Oregon, it began offering courses in agriculture on a limited basis until the state gained control from the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1885 and the Hatch Act (establishing agricultural experiment stations) and the Second Morrill Act of 1890 provided additional federal funds. The first professor of agriculture was hired in 1883 and in 1888 the state approved hiring of a chemist, a botanist, and a horticulturalist. 

In this photograph from 1895, horticulture students were learning about pruning.

 In this photograph from 1903, students in a stock judging class were learning about desirable features in sheep.

The college also had a dairy lab “equipped with all the modern devices for testing milk and its products...”

In addition to the regular university courses, Oregon Agricultural College (as it was called at the time) offered short 6-week intensive classes for active farmers.  The students pictured here in the college's dairy lab in 1903 may have been enrolled in one of these classes.

In 1899, OAC began offering a course in bacteriology which focused on bacteriological diseases of plants and animals.  These offering were gradually expanded into the department of microbiology in the College of Agriculture. These photographs from the 1960s show students at work in microbiology labs.

Another course of study required by the terms of the Morrill Act for all land grant colleges is engineering. At first this was done by incorporating engineering concepts into mathematics courses. In 1889, OAC established the mechanical engineering program, the first on the west coast, and hired Grant Covell as the first professor of engineering. Electrical Engineering was added in 1897, and Civil Engineering in 1905, Chemical Engineering in 1917, Industrial Engineering in 1943, Nuclear Engineering in 1968, and Computer Science in 1974.  

These engineering students of the 1920s were working on a design problem that is written on the board. In this pre-computer age, they are using slide rules to make the necessary calculations. 

By Martha Fraundorf, Volunteer for Benton County Historical Society, Philomath, Oregon