Though I love uncovering little bits and pieces of Tufts history during my weekly raid on the archives, I realized I still had no idea about how Tufts actually came to be. In the process of uncovering the truth about Tufts' inception, something quite interesting emerged: Charles Tufts really didn't have that much to do with the creation of our university.
Initially, I believed the story went something like this: Charles Tufts, a Universalist, owned massive amounts of land in Medford and Somerville. Eventually he decided to give back to his community by establishing an eponymous institution of higher learning. Yet in spite of all the modern hype surrounding the Tufts name, our university was actually the brainchild of an entire group of movers and shakers in the mid−19th century Universalist movement.
Talk of a Universalist college had been swirling for years, but it wasn't set in motion until 1847 when Rev. Thomas Sawyer and the Rev. Hosea Ballou II seriously began to collaborate for the cause. The men asked for donations from Universalists all over the country to pay for the steep $100,000 price tag.
Fortunately, Charles Tufts came to the rescue with a generous donation of 20 acres of land in Medford and Somerville. Heated debates ensued concerning the college's future location (Ballou favored New York's Hudson River Valley over Massachusetts), but when Charles Tufts sweetened the deal by donating an extra 80 acres of land, the reverends agreed that Walnut Hill would be a perfect location for Tufts College.
The greatest thing about Tufts' donation, however, was the great sense of purpose behind it. Legend has it that when a friend asked what he intended to do with Walnut Hill, Tufts profoundly replied, "I will put a light on it." The reverends elaborated on this prophetic statement and worked to create "an institution where the simple pursuit of truth, and not conversion to any particular religious tenets, should be the subject sought."
Pretty progressive stuff for 1840s New England, huh?
After obtaining two separate charters from Medford and Somerville, by May 1852 the state of Massachusetts had formally recognized Tufts, with Ballou elected to serve as the college's first president. Ballou eventually accepted the post, but only after vehemently denying his abilities to successfully run the new institution. I really hope this was an attempt at humility, however, because with a graduating class of three students in 1857 I don't think Ballou had much to worry about during his first years as president.
Ballou wasted no time in beginning construction on the first building to grace the Tufts campus, the aptly named Ballou Hall. The president personally selected "a fine block of Connecticut sandstone" for the cornerstone of his namesake hall (which, despite numerous laps around the building's exterior, I have yet to locate.)
In recognition of such a momentous occasion a celebration took place to usher in this new era of liberal, Universalist education. The festivities occurred in July 1853 and were replete with feasts, sing−alongs and speeches to commemorate the event. Almost 2,000 people attended the celebration, including the guests of honor Charles Tufts and his wife, Hannah.
After the festivities ended and the cornerstone was ceremoniously set in place, Ballou assumed the dual role of president and professor. And I must say, he did an excellent job in the early years of his administration. Take, for example, Ballou's progressive policies that resulted in an exceptional student−to−teacher ratio; although I suppose this wasn't exactly a daunting task when a total of seven students and four faculty members comprised the entirety of the college's population when it officially opened in 1854.
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