Umw: the Early Years

BY WILLIAM B. CRAWLEY JR.

FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR

VIRGINIA, like most Southern states, gave little attention to public education until well after the Civil War; indeed, it was not until the early twentieth century that the Commonwealth began to provide opportunities for the academic development of its children. With the growth of public schools naturally came the need to train more teachers for the elementary and secondary levels, a function that was being only partially filled by the State Normal School at Farmville (later Longwood College), which had been founded in 1884.

By the time the General Assembly convened in 1908, there was widespread support for the creation of another teacher-training (or "normal") school. Inasmuch as such a facility was generally deemed both a civic adornment and an economic benefit, the prospect of attracting the new school precipitated spirited jockeying among various localities for the honor.

From the outset, Fredericksburg pursued the opportunity aggressively, as did Harrisonburg. One example of Fredericksburg's effort was a petition to the General Assembly from the City Council listing basic advantages of the area, such as the availability of rail and steamboat transportation to the city. In addition, in the words of the pamphlet:

Fredericksburg is free from the malaria of the lowlands and from the typhoid type of fever of higher latitudes. No city in Virginia has a better health record than Fredericksburg [which] has never had an epidemic in its history.

The water is equal in purity to any in the world.

The food supply is equal to, and cheaper than, any other city in the State.

There was also, the document pointed out, another significant consideration: that Fredericksburg was "the most historic city in Virginia. Its Revolutionary history is familiar to every schoolboy and girl in this country. Its Civil War history, and that of the country adjacent, was more tragic and still more heroic."

'Normal' school is born

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This is an excerpt from "University of Mary Washington: A Centennial History 1908-2008" by UMW's Distinguished Professor of History William B. Crawley Jr., the university's institutional historian. The 834-page book, which sells for $34.95, is available at the the UMW Bookstore next to George Washington Hall.

'JAMES MONROE': "Great Lives" lecture series, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 7:30 p.m., University of Mary Washington Dodd Auditorium, Fredericksburg. Dan Preston, editor of the "Papers of James Monroe" and author of "James Monroe: An Illustrated History," will speak. The next lecture will be "John Marshall" presented by Edward Smith, professor of political science at Marshall University and author of "John Marshall: Definer of a Nation," on Thursday, Feb. 5. The lectures are free and open to the public. 540/654-1055.

Date published: 1/31/2009

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