1936 Bigelow Pictorial View of Ohio Wesleyan University Campus

A scarce c. 1936 pictorial view of Wesleyan University, likely by alum and Good Housekeeping editor William Frederick Bigelow. Located in Delaware, Ohio, 27 miles north of Columbus, the university is among the oldest in the state.

A Closer Look

Oriented towards the north-northeast, this view presents a comprehensive view of the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University. Various halls, buildings, fraternity houses, and other facilities are labeled, often with the year of construction, beginning with the university's first building, Elliott Hall (built in 1837, before the university even existed). One building that is referred to but not illustrated is Perkins Observatory, separated from the main campus by four miles to afford the least amount of light pollution for the observatory's 69-inch telescope, the third largest in the world when completed in 1931.

Additional structures in the town of Delaware, related to but not strictly part of the university, are also depicted, such as famous professors' homes, a post office, and a public library. Human figures are also drawn, representing prominent alums and members of the Board of Trustees. On the left are portraits of the university's presidents and a representation of sheet music, a reference to the university's strength in that area (having founded a School of Music in 1877). At the top right are illustrations referring to astronomy (another of the university's specialties), including an allegorical figure representing the eastern wind, akin to those often appearing on early modern maps.

Ohio Wesleyan University

One of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the state, Ohio Wesleyan is one of the 'Ohio Five' liberal arts institutions, akin to the 'Seven Sisters' in New England and New York. Most of these institutions were founded by a religious congregation: aside from Wesleyan, founded by Methodists though officially nonsectarian, Denison was founded by Baptists, Kenyon by Episcopalians, the College of Wooster by Presbyterians, and Oberlin, while not maintaining a specific denominational affiliation, was explicitly Christian. These schools were imbued with grand ambitions, being among the earliest such colleges in the former Northwest Territory, and were generally abolitionist (Oberlin very strongly so). Starting with just one building, Elliott Hall (towards the bottom-right), the university added more buildings and degree programs throughout the mid-late 19th century. It became a full-fledged university with graduate programs by the end of the century. However, in 1905, the board of trustees decided to eliminate graduate programs (despite keeping the word 'university' in the institution's name).

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared c. 1936, based on the text below the title at the top-center. The maker may have been William Frederick Bigelow, depicted at the bottom, an alum and trustee of the university who was an editor for William Randolph Hearst publications. However, several other prominent alums are also depicted similarly throughout the map, making an assignation difficult. In any event, this is a very scarce view, with no known institutional holdings and only scant history on the market.