Franklin and Marshall College

Franklin College (18th century) Franklin College was chartered on June 6, 1787, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania , on the site of a former brewery. [ 11 ] It was named for Benjamin Franklin , who donated £200 to the new institution. [ 6 ] Founded by four prominent ministers from the German Reformed Church and the Lutheran Church, in conjunction with numerous Philadelphians, the school was established as a German college whose goal was "to preserve our present republican system of government" and "to promote those improvements in the arts and sciences which alone render nations respectable, great and happy." Its first trustees included five signers of the Declaration of Independence , two members of the Constitutional Convention , and seven officers of the Revolutionary War . [ 12 ] The school's first classes were taught on July 16, 1787, with instruction taking place in both English and German, making it the first bilingual college in the United States. [ 7 ] The first class consisted of 78 men and 36 women; Franklin was the first college in the United States to accept female students. Among its first students was Richea Gratz, the first Jewish female college student in the United States. [ 13 ] But soon after, female students were not allowed to matriculate . Coeducation was introduced much later. [ 14 ] In July 1789, Franklin College went into debt and enrollment dwindled. In an effort to help the ailing school, an academy was established in 1807. For the next three decades, Franklin College and Franklin Academy limped along financially, with instructors supplementing their income with private tutoring. [ 7 ] [ citation needed ]

On December 6, 1849, Franklin College and Marshall College began to consider merging as a way to secure the future of both institutions. Three years later, on June 7, 1853, the combined college was formally dedicated at Lancaster's Fulton Hall . The merger created an all-male Reformed Church institution that combined the resources of both schools. James Buchanan , four years prior to becoming the 15th President of the United States, was named president of the first Franklin & Marshall board of trustees. The college's first two presidents, Emanuel Vogel Gerhart , a Marshall College graduate, and Nevin struggled to keep the young school afloat with an inadequate endowment. The hope of creating a reputable liberal arts institution fueled their efforts to push on. "No second- or third-rate school will do," said Nevin at the formal dedication of the united college. "We must either have no college at all or else have one that may be in all respects worthy of the name." [ citation needed ] The citizens of Lancaster agreed to donate $25,000 towards the construction of a building for the merged college. A site on the east end of the city was proposed near where the new Lancaster County Prison was constructed in 1851. Two parallel streets in the area were renamed, one for Franklin and one for Marshall. [ 7 ] However, Buchanan ultimately rejected the proposal, saying "I do not think the best location for a literary institution should be between a court house and a jail." Instead, Buchanan and the board selected a site at the northwestern end of Lancaster. Known locally as "Gallows Hill," it was the former site of Lancaster's public executions and the highest point of ground in city. At the laying of the building's cornerstone in 1853, Henry Harbaugh , a Marshall College graduate and pastor of the Reformed Church of Lancaster noted that the city's lowest point was the prison. Harbaugh stated: "Thank God! The College stands higher than the jail.

Education should be lifted up and let crime sink to the lowest depths!" The distinctive, tall-towered structure, designed in the Gothic Revival style, was dedicated on May 16, 1856, as "Recitation Hall." Recitation Hall came to be known as "Old Main" and the ground as "College Hill". [ 21 ] Franklin and Marshall College took as its motto the Latin phrase Lux et Lex , which translates in English to "Light and Law". This reversed the Marshall College motto Lex et Lux . While legend has it that the switch was the result of an error by an engraver , it has since been suggested that the words deliberately reflect its namesakes Benjamin Franklin ("light") and John Marshall ("law"). The college seal depicts profiles of Franklin and Marshall looking to the left. It has been suggested that this represents the two leaders looking westward to the future expansion of the United States. Despite his nominal secondary priority, John Marshall is on the left of the seal and Benjamin Franklin is on the right. But Franklin's entire head is shown, while Marshall's profile is cut off and far in the background. Speculation has suggested that this demonstrates an unspoken tendency to favor Franklin's legacy over Marshall's. This preference became explicit when the school celebrated Benjamin Franklin 's 300th birthday but ignored John Marshall 's 250th birthday during consecutive semesters of the 2005–2006 academic year. The school recognized Marshall's milestone birthday only after a petition was signed by a significant portion of students and faculty. [ citation needed ] Old Main, Goethean Hall, and Diagnothian Hall were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. [ 10 ]

This section does not cite any sources . ( June 2018 ) In 1872, Franklin & Marshall Academy, an all-male preparatory school , opened on campus. When it closed in 1943, it was the last prep school in America to be directly affiliated with a private college or university. [ 22 ] College Days , the first student newspaper, began publication in 1873. Later student newspapers included The College Student (1881–1914), The F&M Weekly (1891–1915), The Student Weekly (1915–1964), The Blue and The White (1990–1992), and The College Reporter (1964–present). The Oriflamme , the Franklin and Marshall College yearbook, was established in 1883. [ 23 ] In 1887, the centennial celebration of Franklin College was held. By then, over 100 students were enrolled at F&M. 1899 saw the formation of the college's first theatre group, the Franklin & Marshall Dramatic Association. The next year, it was renamed the Green Room Club. The club performed plays at Lancaster's Fulton Opera House . Because the college admitted only men, the female roles were played by local actresses. In 1937, the Green Room Theatre opened on campus. Franklin & Marshall alumni who have performed on the Green Room stage include Oscar -winning film director Franklin J. Schaffner and actors Roy Scheider and Treat Williams . [ 24 ]