In June, 1889, Willimantic was chosen by the State Legislature as the home for the State’s new “Normal School”. Today, ECSU is a massive presence in town. But in 1886, there existed the possibility that what was to become today’s UConn almost landed on Willimantic’s doorstep. How could that have happened? We’ll take a look at this and UConn’s beginnings in this and the next two weeks’ articles. This week we’ll see what was happening before the school’s first day. Before UConn came into existence in 1881 as the State Agricultural School, the 170 acres of land it started on had previously been the site of the Barrows Farm. Edwin Whitney married Minerva Barrows and in 1865 established a school for boys on his father-in-law’s farm but within the first months of the school’s operation the school building was set on fire by one of the boys, who was from New York City. A “Hartford Courant” story from 1866 said, “the trial took place in Brooklyn, New York where the boy resides and owns considerable property in his own name”. He was ordered to pay over $11,000 in damages. Whitney rebuilt and later in 1866 turned the land and buildings over to the trustees of his new venture, “The Connecticut Soldiers Orphans Home”. It was established by Whitney to serve children who were orphaned during the Civil War. By 1874,however,  there were fewer than 10 children there and the home closed in 1875. Mr. Whitney had died intestate but when he gave the land to the trustees of the Orphan’s Home he had stipulated that if the Home were no longer needed, the trustees should “pay the market value of the property to the Selectmen of Mansfield for the benefit of certain theological students”. But in April, 1876, the Town of Mansfield directed its Selectman not to accept the trust as expressed in Whitney’s deed and instead quitclaim the deed to Minerva Whitney for the sum of one dollar. This was done on May 21, 1876. The managers/Trustees of the Orphans Home also quitclaimed their interests to Mrs. Whitney in October, 1876. In early 1878, there was talk of, “selling the property; and as the state wanted a place for ‘the incurably insane’ from Middletown asylum, and it was proposed to utilize this building for the purpose.” Now, Augustus Storrs stepped in and Mrs. Minerva Whitney “conveyed the premises to Augustus Storrs”. Mrs. Whitney was paid $5,000. Storrs occupied the premises until April 15,1881. A few months prior, in December, 1880, at the close of the State Farmer’s Convention the news was first spread that Augustus Storrs had offered “a farm valued at $15,000” for the purposes of creating an agricultural school designed to educate boys and young men in the practical knowledge of intelligent and scientific farming. Storrs’ brother Charles was willing to donate another $5,000 and hundreds of books from his library. There was one condition; the State was to grant $5,000 per year “for a while” to maintain the school. In March, 1881, The Chronicle reported,” At the last session of the legislature an offer was made to the State of Connecticut, through the state board of agriculture, of a fine farm and suitable buildings in the town of Mansfield, for an agricultural school. The proposition, which came from Augustus Storrs, was referred to the committee on agricultural affairs, and met with a favorable reception. As a result, a bill was reported and passed, incorporating the school, appropriating $5,000 a year for three years for its operation” A Board of Trustees was appointed, “and has taken hold of the work with energy, intelligence, and a determination to make the new institution worthy of the commonwealth and of the generosity that founded it.” The cost of tuition was to be $25 a year and the price of board not over $2.50 or $3 a week for thirty-six weeks. Ample chance was also to be given for the boys to do extra work to pay, “so that industrious and earnest students can earn enough for their expenses as they go”. The course of studies would be no more than two years, a time more easily spared than the ordinarily longer college course. The prospective students were to be admitted, “after some little examination to be sure, but without the formidable requirements of the big colleges”. Opening day was on Friday, October 7, 1881.There were twelve students at the school. (to be continued)

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