How Two Universities Came Together to Form One of the Premier Universities in the Nation

By Donna Wichelman

In past blog posts, I've talked about the immigrants who came to the Colorado Rocky Mountains, seeking to better their lives. Many came from across the globe. But many already had established lives in the Midwest and on the East Coast, with ancestry dating back to the early days of the United States. They moved West to earn their fortunes in business and prospecting, to escape the constraints of the past, or to advance their fortunes for future growth.

When I plotted my novel, Rhythms of the Heart, Book Two in the Singing Silver Mine Series, I wanted the characters to have been born, raised, and educated in the east but to have come west to escape unfortunate circumstances. I'd received my undergraduate degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and knew it had an interesting history dating back to the early establishment of the Western Reserve of Connecticut in the late 1790s. It seemed fitting for my main character to have been educated in Music and English Literature at Western Reserve College in Hudson, Ohio--the original hometown of my alma mater.

Haydn Hall - Case Western Reserve University - Cleveland OH. Cleveland, OH USA - July 19, 2017: The Haven Music Hall (Haydn Hall) is a multi-use space and public lounge for Department of Music students at Case Western Reserve. ID 348198652 © Sandra Foyt Dreamstime.com

But to understand how Case Western Reserve University ended up in Cleveland, we have to go back to those early days in 1799 when David Hudson founded Hudson, Ohio. Hudson believed it was imperative to establish an institution of higher learning in the region to educate young people and to train qualified clergy for the Congregational Church, the dominate church in the area.

ID 41671504 | Hudson Ohio © Kenneth A Sponsler | Dreamstime.com

Hudson, Ohio Today

Though David Hudson was granted a charter to establish the Erie Literary Society in Burton after Ohio became a state in 1803, it took another fifteen years before the American Education Society formed a chapter in Hudson, and David Hudson and Caleb Pitkin began collecting funds with the intent to apply for a charter. 

Various communities in the region vied for the site of the new college--Aurora, Cleveland, Euclid, Hudson, and Tallmadge--but they had to meet the standards required. Tallmadge was deemed too far south, and Euclid was too far north. Aurora and Cleveland had problems with malaria, and besides, Cleveland had a seaport with the "immoral" influence of sailors. Hudson met all the qualifications, including the financial backing of David Hudson. Thus, the college charter was approved and signed by the state on February 7, 1826. The first class of nineteen students met in the fall of 1827.

"Lake Erie and Wheeling Bridge, Cleveland, Ohio" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1908 - 1909.

The college grew over the years, gaining a reputation for promoting science and innovation, and people began to call Western Reserve College the "Yale of the West." One of its earliest achievements included the construction of the Loomis Observatory in 1838, making it one of the oldest observatories in the United States.

In addition, the school became known for supporting the abolitionist movement, Western Reserve College being the first college west of the Appalachians to graduate an African American student, John Sykes. The Reverend Sykes became a Presbyterian minister. Also in 1854, Frederick Douglas gave the commencement speech.

The Reverend John Sykes, Wikipedia

Western Reserve College's Medical School was also known for being the first medical school in the United States to graduate a woman, Nancy Talbot Clark. Five more women had the honor of graduating over the next four years, giving Western Reserve the distinction of graduating six of the first eight female physicians in the United States.

Nancy Talbot Clark, Wikipedia

Postcard, Loomis Observatory. Hudson Library & Historical Society photograph collection (P.04.00.01418)

If my protagonist had stayed in Hudson, she would have witnessed her alma mater change with the times, as a more urban environment attracted the attention of professors who also saw the promise of a larger endowment from Clevelander, Amasa Stone. Western Reserve College moved from Hudson to Cleveland in 1882, taking space along Euclid Avenue, and changing its name to Adelbert College of Western Reserve University. Adelbert was Amasa's son.

"Main Building, Adelbert College, Cleveland, Ohio" The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Little did anyone know that in 1877, philanthropist Leonard Case, Jr., began donating large pieces of real estate to a trust to endow a polytechnical school in Cleveland. The endowment was kept secret until his death in 1880. In March 1880, articles of incorporation were filed, and by 1881, classes began.

Initially, classes were held in the Cases' downtown home, but four years later, due to a provision in Stone's gift to relocate Western Reserve College, the school purchased land in University Circle adjacent to Case School of Applied Science.

Over the years, Case School of Applied Science expanded to include broader subjects and, in 1947, became Case Institute of Technology. Western Reserve College and Case School of Applied Science officially merged in 1967.

Today, Case Western Reserve University retains its reputation as the Yale of the West, with strong programs in engineering, medicine, and biomedical research. They are also ranked high in nursing, law, dentistry, social work, and business management. The early music program is highly distinguished for its Historical Performance Practice degree programs and works in close partnership with the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Peter B. Lewis Building, Weatherhead School of Management, 2017 ID 348198639 © Sandra Foyt | Dreamstime.com Donna is an Angel-award-winning author of Historical fiction for A Song of Deliverance. Weaving history and faith into stories of intrigue and redemption grew out of Donna's love of travel, history, and literature as a young adult while attending an international college in Wales, U.K. She enjoys developing plots that show how God's love abounds even in the profoundly difficult circumstances of our lives. Her stories reflect the hunger in all of us for love, belonging, and forgiveness. Donna was a communications professional before becoming a full-time writer. Her short stories and articles have appeared in inspirational publications. She has two indie-published romantic suspense novels, Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor, in her Waldensian Series.  Donna and her husband of forty-one years participate in ministry at their local church in Colorado. They love spending time with their grandchildren and bike, kayak, and travel whenever possible.