The history of Washington & Jefferson College begins with three log cabin colleges established by three frontier clergymen in the 1780s: John McMillan, Thaddeus Dod, and Joseph Smith. The three men, all graduates from the College of New Jersey, came to present-day Washington County to plant churches and spread Presbyterianism to what was then the American frontier beyond the Appalachian Mountains. John McMillan, the most prominent of the three founders because of his strong personality and longevity, came to the area in 1775 and built his log cabin college in 1780 near his church in Chartiers. Thaddeus Dod, known as a keen scholar, built his log cabin college in Lower Ten Mile in 1781. Joseph Smith taught classical studies in his college, called "The Study" at Buffalo.
Washington Academy was chartered by the Pennsylvania General Assembly on September 24, 1787. The first members of the board of trustees included Reverends Dod and Smith. After a difficult search for a headmaster, in which the trustees consulted Benjamin Franklin, the trustees unanimously selected Thaddeus Dod, considered to be the best scholar in western Pennsylvania. Amid financial difficulties and unrest from the Whiskey Rebellion, the academy held no classes from 1791 to 1796. In 1792, the academy secured four lots at Wheeling and Lincoln street from William Hoge and began construction on the stone Academy Building. During the Whiskey Rebellion, portions of David Bradford's militia camped on a hillside that would later become home to the unified Washington & Jefferson College.
In October 1792, after a year's delay from its official incorporation resulting from "trouble with Indians," McMillan was chosen as the headmaster and Canonsburg was chosen as the location for the "Canonsburg Academy." At a subsequent unknown date, McMillan transferred his students from the log cabin to Canonsburg Academy. Canonsburg Academy was chartered by the General Assembly on March 11, 1794, thus placing it firmly ahead of its sister school, Washington Academy, which was without a faculty, students, or facilities. On January 15, 1802, with McMillan as president of the board, the General Assembly finally granted a charter for "a college at Canonsburgh."
In 1802, Canonsburg Academy was reconstituted as Jefferson College, with John McMillan serving as the first President of the board of trustees. In 1806, Matthew Brown petitioned the Pennsylvania General Assembly to grant Washington Academy a charter, allowing it to be re-christened as Washington College. At various times over the next 60 years, the various parties within the two colleges pursued unification with each other, but the question of where the unified college would be located thwarted those efforts. In 1817, a disagreement over a perceived agreement for unification erupted into "The College War" and threatened the existence of both colleges. In the ensuing years, both colleges began to undertake risky financial moves, especially over-selling scholarships. Thanks to the leadership of Matthew Brown, Jefferson College was in a stronger position to weather the financial storm for a longer period. Desperate for funds, Washington College accepted an offer from the Synod of Wheeling to take control of the college, a move that was supposed stabilized the finances for a period of time. However, Washington College then undertook another series of risk financial moves that crippled its finances.
Following the Civil War, both colleges were short on students and short on funds, causing them to join as Washington & Jefferson College in 1865. The charter provided for the college to operate at both Canonsburg and Washington, a position that caused significant difficulty to the administration trying to rescue the college amid ill feelings over the unification. In 1869, the two-campus arrangement was declared a failure and all operations were moved to Washington. However, a lawsuit from Canonsburg residents and Jefferson College partisans seeking to overturn the consolidation was filed and eventually made its way to the United States Supreme Court. By 1871, the Supreme Court upheld the consolidation, allowing the newly configured college to proceed. Under James D. Moffat, the college experienced a period of growth. The tenure of Simon Strousse Baker between 1922 and 1931 saw a large amount of construction, as well as student unrest that led to his resignation. During World War II, the college opened its doors to the United States Army as a training facility and subsequently admitted a large number of veterans, which swelled the student body to record levels. In 1970, the board of trustees voted to admit women for the first time in the college's history. Under Brian C. Mitchell, who served as president from 1998 to 2004, the college again a growth in construction and an effort to improve relations with the neighboring communities. In 2004, Tori Haring-Smith became the first woman to serve as president of Washington & Jefferson. She focused on internationalizing the campus by recruiting more international students and creating the Magellan program, which sends students abroad to pursue independent study during the summer. She also built the Swanson Science Center and the Ross Family Athletic Center. During her tenure, she raised more than $250 million for endowment, faculty, scholarships, athletics, academic programs, and the physical plant. She retired in 2017.
Three log colleges Washington & Jefferson College traces its origin to three log cabin colleges established by three frontier clergymen in the 1780s: John McMillan, Thaddeus Dod, and Joseph Smith. The three men, all graduates from the College of New Jersey, came to present-day Washington County to plant churches and spread Presbyterianism to what was then the American frontier beyond the Appalachian Mountains.Coleman 1956 p. 4–7 They were "men of like minds, who worked in harmony like a brotherhood," even though they had different personalities. McMillan was the executive, Dod the scholar, Smith the revivalist.
The early students were subjected to regular attacks by local Indian tribes and were greatly influenced by religious revivals and the Second Great Awakening. The women of "the 5 congregations" (Bethel, Buffalo, Chartiers, Cross Creek, and Ten Mile) had a tradition of making clothes for the students, most of whom were farmers and many were veterans of the Revolution. Most attended school to prepare for the ministry, and many students pushed west to spread the Gospel to other frontiersmen and often the same Indians that were attacking them. These three log colleges were not rivals, as many students moved from school to school to relieve the burden of the three ministers, each of whom had other duties.
John McMillan, the most prominent of the three founders because of his strong personality and longevity, came to the area in 1775 and built his log cabin college in 1780 near his church in Chartiers. In addition to his pastoral duties, he taught a mixture of mature college-level students and some elementary students. James McGready, who would later play an important role in the Second Great Awakening, studied Latin under McMillan in 1783. The original cabin was destroyed by fire, but rebuilt by McMillan in the late 1780s.Canonsburg's Log Cabin Preservation Project , adapted from an article in Jefferson College Times, December 2004, by James T. Herron, Jr. This log school has been preserved, and is located beside the Middle School in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Thaddeus Dod built his log cabin college in Lower Ten Mile in 1781. He taught his students math, ancient languages, and the classics.Coleman 1956 p. 161 His students also studied the frontier and encountered local Indians. Joseph Smith taught classical studies in his college, called "The Study" at Buffalo
Washington Academy
Largely resulting from the lobbying efforts of Reverend McMillan and two of his elders, Judge James Allison and Judge John McDowell, Washington Academy was chartered by the Pennsylvania General Assembly on September 24, 1787, providing for the "education of youths in useful arts, sciences and literature.Coleman 1956 p. 21–44 The first members of the board of trustees included these three men, as well as Reverends Dod and Smith. The board quickly secured a land grant of north of the Ohio River and west of Allegheny River (present-day Beaver County) from the Secretary of the Land Office. This tract of land, secured from the Lenape and Wyandot in the Treaty of Fort McIntosh, was subject to competing claims resulting from poorly executed grants. The land, impractically distant from Washington County, was gradually sold off for funds. After a difficult search for a headmaster, in which the trustees consulted Benjamin Franklin, the trustees unanimously selected Thaddeus Dod, considered to be the best scholar in western Pennsylvania. Instruction began on April 1, 1789, in the upper room of the log courthouse in Washington.
In 1790, a courthouse fire left the academy without a home. Amid financial difficulties and unrest from the Whiskey Rebellion, the academy held no classes from 1791 to 1796. The trustees continued to meet and named David Redick to succeed Dod as headmaster. In 1792, the academy secured four lots at Wheeling and Lincoln street from William Hoge. A building was constructed there, with the foundation and walls completed in 1793. The building survives to this day, in a slightly different location, as McMillan Hall, the eighth-oldest academic building in continuous use in the nation.
Early trustees found themselves on opposite sides of the Rebellion, with Reverend McMillan and James Ross supporting the Federal cause; David Bradford, the leader of the rebellion, was joined by Judge Allison, Judge McDowell, and James Marshall. Of the seventeen members of Bradford's militia captured by federal troops and marched to Philadelphia for trial, Reverend John Corbley was an original Washington Academy trustee and Colonel John Hamilton served as a Jefferson trustee for 29 years. Portions of Bradford's militia camped on a hillside that would later become home to the unified Washington & Jefferson College.
The academy reopened in late spring 1796 and received a donation of $3,000 complete from the General Assembly to teach 10 indigent students for two years. In 1805 Matthew Brown took the position of Principal and pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. He brought his protege David Elliott from Mifflin, Pennsylvania to become a teacher, giving the academy a new vibrancy that had been missing.
Canonsburg Academy In October 1791, Reverend Joseph Smith became Moderator of the Virginia Synod amid a push to develop a school to train Presbyterian ministers for the west.Coleman 1956 p. 45–58 Several locations were considered, including Washington, Canonsburg, and the McMillan's log cabin. In October 1792, after a year's delay from its official incorporation resulting from "trouble with Indians," McMillan was chosen as the headmaster and Canonsburg was chosen as the location for the "Canonsburg Academy." At McMillan and Matthew Henderson's request, Col. John Canon donated land near town center for the academy and financed the building of a 2-story stone school house. Other operating funds were raised by the circulation of subscription lists to local residents, especially among McMillan's congregants. At an unknown date, McMillan and Ross transferred their students from the log cabin to Canonsburg Academy. Canonsburg Academy was chartered by the General Assembly on March 11, 1794, thus placing it firmly ahead of its sister school, Washington Academy, which was without a faculty, students, or facilities.