Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio Wesleyan University (also Wesleyan or OWU) is a private coeducational liberal arts college located in Delaware, Ohio.

History

The roots of Wesleyan reach back to 1841 when Adam Poe and Charles Elliott, leaders of the local Williams Street Methodist Church and residents of Delaware, Ohio agreed on the need to establish a university "of the highest order"{{ref|order}} in central Ohio.

Related Topics:
1841 - Methodist - Delaware, Ohio

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When the Mansion House Hotel went on the market later during the same year, Poe encouraged citizens of Delaware to purchase the property. Later, 172 citizens raised a $10,000 contribution and purchased it.

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However, it was not until 1844 when Wesleyan opened its doors as a Methodist-related but nonsectarian college. In the 19th century, Ohio Wesleyan University consisted of several schools: a College of Liberal Arts (founded in 1844), a School of Oratory (founded in 1894), a School of Music (founded in 1777), a School of Fine Arts (established in 1877) and a Business School (established in 1895). The university is one of the first universities named for John Wesley, and is among the oldest of the numerous Methodist universities in the U.S. and abroad.

Related Topics:
1844 - 1894 - 1777 - 1877 - 1895 - John Wesley - Methodist

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In 1850, four young women matriculated for the regular college course at the Ohio Wesleyan Female College. Three of the four graduated in 1854 and became the first women in America to receive AB degrees.

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In the early days of the college, Ohio Wesleyan University presidents were frequently nationally vocal in political debates of their times. The issues in the 1850s centered on slavery and the expansion of the United States. Edward Thompson, president of Ohio Wesleyan University in 1857, was vocal in the national political debate and denounced the argument that southern Christians “should retain their slaves in obedience to state laws forbidding manumission” and "The soft and slippered Christianity which disturbs no one, is not the Christianity of Christ"{{ref|thompson}}.

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The college was originally an all-male institution, but it became coeducational in 1877. Wesleyan's traditions date back to its founding, when the College of Liberal Arts opened its doors with an enrollment of 29 male students taught by three professors. The college was housed in Elliott Hall, formerly the Mansion House Hotel, which had been constructed in the early 1830s when the current East Campus was a popular health resort. The resort was known for the “health-giving although odoriferous waters” of its Sulphur Spring.

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The Ohio Wesleyan Female College was established in 1853. In 1857, the female college moved to Monnett Hall, named for school benefactress Mary Monnett Bain. In 1877 the Ohio Wesleyan Female College was merged with the University and became coeducational. Monnett Hall remained the center for women's housing on campus well into the twentieth century. The Monnett Garden, which stands between Sanborn Hall and Austin Manor, was constructed in 1990 to honor the former Monnett Hall.

Related Topics:
Ohio Wesleyan Female College - 1853 - 1857 - Mary Monnett Bain - 1877

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