Ohio University is famous for its bricks, but hundreds of years ago, the university started with just one building.
It is the year 1808, and for the past four years and the next six to come, the Ohio University that is known and appreciated today is comprised of just one building: the Academy Building.
Following an investment of five hundred dollars and resting at two stories tall, the 24-by-30-foot brick building became the new home of education for the three students enrolled at the university and for Jacob Lindley, OU’s first and only professor at the time. Located on what is now acknowledged as College Green, the Academy Building’s precise geographical position can be identified by a sundial positioned atop a granite column that lies behind Galbreath Chapel.
Thomas Ewing, one of OU’s first two graduates, gained his degree in law and studied under the support of Philemon Beecher, a commanding lawyer of the Lancaster bar. Following his graduation in 1815, Ewing was admitted to the bar as well in 1816. He then went on to succeed as a United States Secretary and as an adviser to four U.S. presidents. To this day, Ewing’s name remains the primary tag for Ewing House, a residence hall on South Green.
Though the university was built in 1804, its history goes back even further. In 1786, a group of men congregated at a tavern in Boston, Massachusetts to set forth a proposition for the development of an area that they had referred to back then as the “Ohio Country.” The following year, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 resulted, allowing for the settlement and government of the area. This then led to the expansion of schools and supported the necessity of education.
Until 1896, OU’s unendorsed colors were blue and white; however, Samuel McMillen, the newly hired football coach at the time, insisted that these unofficial colors were not the “right” ones to be used. It was then that he and the student body alike decided that the sanctioned colors of the university were to be green and white.
The Academy Building was used from 1808 and remained the only building on campus until what is now known as Cutler Hall was constructed in 1816. It was originally called the College Edifice and was built in order to relieve the difficulties that came from not having enough space for the increasing enrollment.
To this day, the sundial stands behind the chapel, serving as a sole historical representation of the beginnings of Ohio University.
Bri Shaniuk is a freshman studying journalism. What do you think of Ohio University’s historical buildings? Email her at bs714714@ohio.edu.
