943 - HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY
XENIA COLLEGE.*
On the 21st of March, 1850, at the request of Thomas C. Wright, David Barr, Joseph A. Coburn, Abraham Hivling, Joshua Martin, Roswell F. Howard, Daniel Martin, Hugh McMillen, Thomas S. Towler, Joseph G. Gest, William B. Fairchild, and James J. Winans, the General Assembly granted a charter for the Xenia Female Academy, the capital stock to be $25,000, in shares of fifty dollars each.
The first meeting of the incorporators was held June 1, 1850. Daniel Martin was chosen chairman, and J. A. Coborn, secretary.
On motion of J. J. Winans, it was resolved to open books for subscriptions to the capital stock, and Daniel Martin was appointed to solicit subscriptions.
On the 29th of June the stockholders met, and elected nine trustees : A. Hivling, J. B. Allen, James J. Winans, Joseph G. Gest, William Cooper, Daniel Martin, David Barr, Joshua Martin, and Hugh McMillen.
July 1st, the trustees met and elected Joshua Martin, president; Daniel Martin, treasurer; James J. Winans, secretary. A committee was appointed to prepare a code of by-laws for the government of the institution.
July 4th, the trustees met and resolved to open the school in a few months. Thomas S. Towler, M. D., was elected superintendent, and on the 19th of October, Miss Nancy M. Hartford was elected principal teacher, and Mary E. McQuirk assistant.
About this time the school was opened in the old academy building, now No. 33 East Church Street. A part of the building was used as a boarding-house for pupils, under the care of Mrs. Huntington.
May 23, 1851, the trustees appointed a committee to ascertain
* Received after the above had gone to press.
944 - HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
what grounds could be secured for a permanent location. Various reports were made, and the present site selected on the 14th of July, and the treasurer was instructed to give notice that the first installment on the subscription to the stock would be required on the 1st of August.
July 22d, Thomas S. Towler, M. D., was re-elected superintendent, and on the 30th of July the trustees resolved to prepare to build the college, or West Building, and appointed Hugh McMillen, T. S. Towler, and David Barr, a committee to report plans.
Dr. Towler was re-elected principal in 1852 and 1853. The teachers were Mrs. Lewis Wright and Miss Mary Eliza Harbison.
After considerable discussion, at a meeting of the trustees, held September 27, 1852, they offered to place the school under the care of the Cincinnati Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The conference named certain conditions, and appointed the following committee : Rev. Charles Elliott, Rev. A. Lowry, Rev. W. I. Ellsworth, A. Trader, and three others, to represent them. The conditions were that $6,000 should be raised in Xenia and vicinity, to erect a boarding-house, and make some other improvements, and that the trustees should transfer to the conference a sufficient number of shares of stock to give it the control of the institution.
February 15, 1853, the sum of $6,000 was guaranteed by Joshua Martin, Michael Nunnemaker, A. Trader, Nathan Nesbitt, I. S. Drake, and C. L. Merrick. About this time it was placed under the care of the conference, and they have annually appointed visitors to examine its condition and report to them.
On the 26th of February, the trustees appointed A. Hivling, A. Trader, and Joshua Martin, a building committee, and instructed them to confer with the conference committee with reference to plans for a hoarding-house.
May 16, 1853, the trustees elected Rev. A. Lowry, D. D., principal and financial agent, and during the year the boarding-house was built.
May 18, 1854, Rev. Mansfield French was elected principal, and on the 30th of June, Dr. J. Martin and C. L. Merrick were appointed a committee to take legal measures to have the name changed to Xenia. Female Seminary and Collegiate Institute.
May 7, 1856, Rev. O. M. Spencer, A. M., was elected president, and William Smith, A. M., was elected August 4, 1858.
May 6, 1861, the name was changed to Xenia Female College.
SUPPLEMENT. - 945
In 1863, the president admitted gentlemen to recite in the classes, and since then it has been called Xenia College.
In July, 1872, the first Annual Summer Normal was organized and taught by the president and Professors William Reece and Clark M. Galloway.