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provided that the Governor should be ex-officio President of the Board of Trustees. Until 1858, the Superintendent of Public Instruction had been ex-officio President. During the period of the Board of Education, the University trustees were elected by it, and elected their own President.

The North Hall was completed late in 1866.

The Law Department was established in June, 1868, and in September following an arrangement was perfected with the Iowa Law School, at Des Moines, which had been in successful operation for three years, by which that institution was transferred to Iowa City and merged in the Law Department of the University. At a special meeting of the Board, on the 17th of September, 1868, a committee was appointed to consider the expediency of establishing a Medical Department. The committee reported at once in favor of the proposition, the Faculty to consist of the President of the University and seven Professors, and recommended that, if practicable, the new department should be opened at the commencement of the University year, in 1869-70.

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By an act of the General Assembly, approved April 11, 1870, the Board of Regents" was instituted as the governing power of the University, and since that time it has been the fundamental law of the institution. The Board of Regents held its first meeting June 28, 1870.

The South Hall, having been fitted up for the purpose, the first term of the Medical Department was opened October 24, 1870, and continued until March, 1871.

In June 1874, the "Chair of Military Instruction" was established, and the President of the United States was requested to detail an officer to perform its duties. At the annual meeting, in 1876, a Department of Homopathy was established. In March, 1877 a resolution was adopted affiliating the High Schools of the State with the University.

In 1872, the ex-officio membership of the Superintendent of Public Instruction was abolished, but it was restored in 1876.

The Board of Regents, in 1881, was composed as follows: John H. Gear, Governor, ex-officio, President; Carl W. VonCoelln, Superintendent of Public Instruction, ex-officio; J. L. Picard, President of the University, ex-officio. C. W. Slagle, Fairfield, First District; D. N. Richardson, Davenport. Second District; H. C. Bulis, Decorah, Third District; A. T. Reeve, Hampton, Fourth District; J. N. W. Rumple, Marengo, Fifth District; W. O. Crosby, Centerville, Sixth District; T. S. Parr, Indianola, Seventh District; Horace Everett, Council Bluffs, Eighth District; J. F. Duncombe, Fort Dodge, Ninth District. John N. Coldren, Iowa City, Treasurer; W. J. Haddock, Iowa City, Secretary.

The Regents are elected by the General Assembly, in Joint Convention, for six years, one-third being elected at each regular session, one member to be chosen from each Congressional District.

The present educational corps of the University consists of the President, nine Professors in the Collegiate Department, one Professor and six Instructors in Military Science; Chancellor, three Professors and four Lecturers in the Law Department; eight Professor demonstrators of Anatomy; Prosector of Surgery and two Lecturers in the Medical Department, and two Professors in the Homopathic Medical Department.

STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

By act of the General Assembly, approved January 28, 1857, a State Historical Society was provided for in connection with the University. At the commencemeat, an appropriation of $250 was made, to be expended in collecting, embodying and preserving in an authentic form, a library of books, pamphlets, charts, maps, manuscripts, papers, painting, statuary, and other materials illustrative of the history of Iowa; and with the further object to rescue from oblivion the memory of the early pioneers; to obtain and preserve various accounts of their exploits, perils and hardy adventures; to secure facts and statements relative to the history and genius, and progress and decay of the Indian tribes of Iowa, to exhibit faithfully the antiquities and past and present resources of the State; to aid in the publication of such collections of the society as shall, from time to time, be deemed of value and interest; to aid in binding its books, pamphlets, manuscripts and papers, and in defraying other necessary incidental expenses of the Society.

There was appropriated by law to this institution, till the General Assembly shall otherwise direct, the sum of $500 per annum. The Society is under the management of a Board of Curators, consisting of eighteen persons, nine of whom are appointed by the Governor, and nine elected by the members of the Society. The Curators receive no compensation for their services. The annual meeting is provided for by law, to be held at Iowa City on Monday preceding the last Wednesday in June of each year.

The State Historical Society has published a series of very valuable collections, including history, biography, sketches, reminiscences, etc., with quite a large number of finely engraved portraits of prominent and early settlers, under the title of "Annals of Iowa.

THE PENITENTIARY.

Located at Fort Madison, Lee County.

The first act of the Territorial Legislature, relating to a Penitentiary in Iowa, was approved January 25, 1839, the fifth section of which authorized the Governor to draw the sum of $20,000 appropriated by an act of Congress approved July 7, 1838, for public buildings in the Territory of lowa. It provided for a

Board of Directors of three persons elected by the Legislature, who should direct the building of the Penitentiary, which should be located within one mile of the public square, in the town of Fort Madison, Lee County, provided Fort Madison should deed to the Directors a tract of land suitable for a site, and assign them, by contract, a spring or stream of water for the use of the Penitentiary. To the Directors was also given the power of appointing the Warden; the latter to appoint his own assistants.

The first Directors appointed were John S. David and John Claypole. They made their first report to the Legislative Council November 9, 1839. The citizens of the town of Fort Madison had executed a deed conveying ten acres of land for the building site. Amos Ladd was appointed Superintendent of the building June 5, 1839. The building was designed of sufficient capacity to contain one hundred and thirty-eight convicts, and estimated to cost $55,933.90. It was begun on the 9th of July, 1839; the main building and Warden's house were completed in the fall of 1841. Other additions were made from time to time till the building and arrangements were all complete according to the plan of the Directors. It has answered the purpose of the State as a Penitentiary for more than thirty years, and during that period many items of practical experience in prison management have been gained. ADDITIONAL PENITENTIARY.

Located at Anamosa, Jones County.

By an Act of the Fourteenth General Assembly, approved April 23, 1872, William Ure, Foster L. Downing and Martin Heisey were constituted Commissioners to locate and provide for the erection and control of an additional Penitentiary for the State of Iowa. These Commissioners met on the 4th of the following June, at Anamosa, Jones County, and selected a site donated by the citizens, within the limits of the city. L. W. Foster & Co., architects, of Des Moines, furnished the plan, drawings and specifications, and work was commenced on the building on the 28th day of September, 1872. May 13, 1873, twenty convicts were transferred to Anamosa from the Fort Madison Penitentiary. The entire enclosure includes fifteen acres, with a frontage of 663 feet.

IOWA HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE.

Mount Pleasant, Henry County.

By an act of the General Assembly of Iowa, approved January 24, 1855, $4,425 were appropriated for the purchase of a site, and $50,000 for building an Insane Hospital, and the Governor (Grimes), Edward Johnston, of Lee County, and Charles S. Blake, of Henry County, were appointed to locate the institution and

superintend the erection of the building. These Commissioners located the institution at Mt. Pleasant, Henry County. A plan for a building designed to accommodate 300 patients was accepted, and in October work was commenced. Up to February 25, 1858, and including an appropriation made on that date, the Legislature had appropriated $258,555.67 to this institution, but the building was not finished ready for occupancy by patients until March 1, 1861. April 18, 1876, a portion of the hospital building was destroyed by fire.

Trustees, 1881:-Timothy Whiting, Mount Pleasant; J. H. Kulp, Davenport; Denison A. Hurst, Oskaloosa; John Conaway, Brooklyn; L. E. Fellows, Lansing. Mark Ranney, M. D., Mt. Pleasant, is the Medical Superintendent; C. V. Arnold, Mt. Pleasant, Treasurer.

HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE.

Independence, Buchanan County.

In the winter of 1867-8 a bill providing for an additional Hospital for the insane was passed by the Legislature, and an appropriation of $125,000 was made for that purpose. Maturin L. Fisher, of Clayton County; E. G. Morgan, of Webster County, and Albert Clark, of Buchanan County, were appointed Commissioners to locate and supervise the erection of the building.

The Commissioners met and commenced their labors on the 8th day of June, 1868, at Independence. The act under which they were appointed required them to select the most eligible and desirable location, of not less than 320 acres, within two miles of the City of Independence, that might be offered by the citizens free of charge to the State. Several such tracts were offered, but the Commissioners finally selected the south half of southwest quarter of Section 5; the north half of northeast quarter of Section 7; the north half of northwest quarter of Section 8, and the north half of northeast quarter of Section 8, all in Township 88 north, Range 9 west of the Fifth Principal Meridian. This focation is on the west side of the Wapsipinicon River, and about a mile from its banks, and about the same distance from Independ

ence.

The contract for erecting the building was awarded for $88,114. The contract was signed November 7, 1868, and work was at once commenced. The main buildings were constructed of dressed limestone, from the quarries at Anamosa and Farley. The basements are of the local granite worked from the immense boulders found in large quantities in this portion of the State.

In 1872 the building was so far completed that the Commissioners called the first meeting of the Trustees, on the 10th day of July of that year. The building was ready for occupancy April 21, 1873.

In 1877, the south wing was built, but was not completed ready for occupancy until the Spring or Summer of 1878.

Trustees, 1881:-Erastus G. Morgan, Fort Dodge, President; Jed. Lake, Independence; Mrs. Jennie C. McKinney, Decorah; Lewis H. Smith, Algona; David Hammer, McGregor; A. Reynolds, M. D., Independence, Medical Superintendent; W. G. Donnar, Independence, Treasurer.

IOWA COLLEGE FOR THE BLIND.

Vinton, Benton County.

In August, 1852, Prof. Samuel Bacon, himself blind, established an Institution for the instruction of the blind of Iowa, at Keokuk. By act of the General Assembly, entitled "An act to establish an Asylum for the Blind," approved January 18, 1853, the institution was adopted by the State, removed to Iowa City, February 3d, and opened for the reception of pupils April 4, 1853, free to all the blind in the State.

The Board of Trustees appointed Prof. Samuel Bacon, Principal; T. J. McGittigen, Teacher of Music, and Mrs. Sarah K. Bacon, Matron. Twenty-three pupils were admitted during the first term.

In his first report, made in 1854, Prof. Bacon suggested that the name should be changed from "Asylum for the Blind," to that of "Institution for the Instruction of the Blind." This was done in 1855, when the General Assembly made an annual appropriation for the College of $55 per quarter for each pupil. This was subsequently changed to $3,000 per annnm, and a charge of $25 as an admission fee for each pupil, which sum, with the amounts realized from the sale of articles manufactured by the blind pupils, proved sufficient for the expenses of the institution during Mr. Bacon's administration.

On the 8th of May, 1858, the Trustees met at Vinton, and made arrangements for securing the donation of $5,000 made by the citizens of that town.

In June of that year a quarter section of land was donated for the College, by John W.O. Webb and others, and the Trustees adopted a plan for the erection of a suitable building. In 1860 the plan was modified, and the contract for enclosing let for $10,420.

In August, 1862, the building was so far completed that the goods and furniture of the institution were removed from Iowa City to Vinton, and early in October the School was opened there with twenty-four pupils.

Trustees, 1881:-Clinton O. Harrington, Vinton; S. H. Watson, Vinton, Treasurer; J. F. White, Sidney; M. H. Westerbrook, Lyons; W. H. Leavitt, Waterloo; Jacob Springer, Watkins; Rev. Robert Carothers, Principal of the Institution and Secretary of the Board.

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