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Penn State University owes its origin to a casual conversation held between two gentlemen, one from Carlisle, PA and the other from Bellefonte. Frederick Watts and Bellefonte's H. N. McAllister had a casual conversation discussing the idea of establishing a school for the education of sons of farmers.
They both had observed that farmer's sons seemed to be "unfitted" for the literary colleges. Contemporary colleges did not teach agriculture sciences. Together, they believed that a system of special education in agriculture sciences and practice would remedy the problem and at the same time meet an urgent need of the State.
Accordingly, they drafted a charter establishing the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania and succeeded in having it passed by the State Legislature and signed by the Governor in April 1854.
No sooner had the charter been approved, than great support was exhibited by both citizens of rural and urban counties. The first order of business, at the first meeting of the board of trustees, held June 14, 1855, in Harrisburg, was to obtain a suitable location. The board considered proposals from individuals in five counties. Each was willing to donate or sell 200 or more acres of land for the school. Among the five offers, was that of James Irvin of Bellefonte, Centre County. Irvin, who held extensive interest in iron furnaces, forges, and rolling mills, proposed to give any one of three 200-acre tracts from his large Centre County land holdings. The trustees formed a committee consisting of Governor Pollock, Judge Watts, and Dr. Alfred L. Elwyn, to inspect all five locations. The committee completed its work during the summer of 1855 and the board reconvened on September 12. Sealing the deal, Irvin's proposition had been made more attractive by the pledge of trustees Hugh N. McAllister and Secretary of the Commonwealth Andrew G. Curtin (both of Bellefonte) to raise $10,000 for the school from local citizens.
On a motion by Watts, the trustees voted to accept the Centre County offer.
Among the many who rendered valuable aid to the enterprise in the earliest days were:
Hon. James T Hale
Hugh N. McAllister
Andrew Gregg
Gen. James Irvin
Governor William Bigler
James Miles
Governor Pollock
Elliot Cresson
Governor Andrew Gregg Curtin
Bellefonte helped brainstorm the idea, provided lobbying efforts, the Governor that signed the charter into law, the land, the seed money and countless numbers of individuals that worked tirelessly for the promotion and benefit of what would become Penn State University.
Maybe . . . "We are Penn State"
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