9/5/2007:
Over 123 years ago, Jamestown College was chartered on Windy Hill overlooking the young city of Jamestown, and the first classes were held in September 1886. Jamestown was chosen, mostly for its central location in northern Dakota Territory and the area’s natural beauty.
Captain Samuel K. McGinnis donated 27 _ acres, and the local residents raised $10,000. The trustees applied for a charter in October 1883, which was granted the following January.
Jamestown College opened its first term on September 29, 1886, with 35 students in science, classics, business, music and preparatory courses. In 1887, a teacher preparatory program and the three-story Old Main were added. The building stood until September 4, 1930, when it was destroyed by fire. The first students graduated in 1891.
The college struggled financially and closed from 1893-1908. It reopened in 1909 when economic conditions in North Dakota had improved. Old Main was updated at a cost of $10,000, with the installation of electric lights, indoor bathrooms, a sewer system and a steam boiler.
Jamestown College was the only college between Fargo and Missoula, Mont., at the time. Dr. Barend Kroeze became president in 1909, bringing new life to the floundering campus. Quite successful in fundraising, he gathered $50,000 from James J. Hill and funds from many others.
The college added three buildings in 1910—a girls’ dormitory, the president’s house and a heating plant—enrollment grew to 175 students and 17 instructors. Taber Hall, the science building named after Board of Trustees Chairman Henry Taber, was built in 1913 and Voorhees Chapel, now on the National Registry of Historic Places, in 1919.
In 1918, the chapel in Old Main became a barracks for the Students’ Army Training Corps. The Memorial Gymnasium, built in 1923 and dedicated to the soldiers of World War I, contained the first indoor swimming pool in North Dakota.
Dorm fees in the 1930s were $8/month for a double room and $12/month for a single room. The rents became a vital part of the college’s budget during the Depression.
President Kroeze retired in 1946, and Dr. Howard J. Bell succeeded him. Bell established a baccalaureate, four-year nursing program, the first such program in North Dakota.
Today, the college stands on 110 wooded acres and has 23 buildings. About 1000 students attend from 34 states and 12 foreign countries. However, even after 123 years, the basic idea that Jamestown College put forth in 1883 remains today—to provide students with a quality education grounded in high academic, ethical and spiritual standards.
By Cathy A. Langemo, WritePlus Inc.