Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Pacific University Origins and Founding Documents, 1848-1854
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Pacific University; Tualatin Academy
- Title
- Pacific University Origins and Founding Documents
- Dates
- 1848-1854 (bulk)18481854
1848-1956 (inclusive)18481956 - Quantity
- 0.5 cubic foot, (1 box)
- Collection Number
- RG.01
- Summary
- Various documents pertaining to the founding and development of Tualatin Academy and Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon.
- Repository
-
Pacific University, Archives
Pacific University Archives
2043 College Way
Forest Grove, OR
97116
Telephone: 5033521400
archives@pacificu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Sponsored by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Oregon's Pacific University is the oldest chartered university in the West. The Oregon Territorial Legislature granted its original charter as the Tualatin Academy on Sept. 26, 1849. The charter predates statehood by 10 years, and was the first formal act of the territorial government.
Pacific founders were also instrumental in the 1843 vote at Champoeg, which resulted in the formation of the Oregon Provisional Government, the first American government on the Pacific Coast.
The school traces its roots to a log cabin meeting house in Forest Grove where the Rev. Harvey Clark, a Congregationalist minister, and Tabitha Brown, a former teacher from Massachusetts, cared for and educated orphans of the Oregon Trail. The University issued the first baccalaureate degree in the region in 1863 to Harvey W. Scott, later the editor of The Oregonian. Pacific's Old College Hall, built in 1850, housed the original academy and is the oldest educational building in the West.
Today, Pacific is a comprehensive liberal arts and healthcare university with 3,200 graduate and undergraduate students attending classes at the original campus in Forest Grove, and campuses in Eugene, Hillsboro and Portland.
Source: Pacific University website
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collections includes a variety of materials pertaining to the origins and founding of Tualatin Academy and Pacific University, including charters issued by the Territorial Legislature, articles of incorporation, constitution, items related to acquisition of land, financial records, and writings on the early history of both institutions.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Pacific University owns the copyright to some, but not all, of the materials housed in its archives. Copyright for materials authored or otherwise produced as official business of Pacific University is retained by Pacific University and requires its permission for publication. Copyright status for other collection materials varies. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Preferred Citation
[item identification], Origins and Founding Documents Collection, Pacific University Archives, Forest Grove, Oregon.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series 1: Charters and Related DocumentsReturn to Top
Original and photocopies of charters granted by the Territory of Oregon which established both Tualatin Academy and Pacific University. Also articles of incorporation and related documents.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | Tualatin Academy charter (original and photocopies) |
1848 |
| 1 | 2 | Tualatin Academy constitution |
undated |
| 1 | 3 | Report to the committee appointed to consider the subject of establishing Pacific University |
1853 |
| 1 | 4 | Petition to the Legislature to enlarge Tualatin Academy |
1853 |
| 1 | 5 | Pacific University charter (typescripts and photocopies) |
1854 |
| 1 | 6 | Supplementary Articles of Incorporation of Pacific University (original, typescripts and photocopy of typescripts) |
1923 |
| 1 | 7 | Two documents outlining the school's history and legal status (photocopies) |
1956 |
Series 2: Land RecordsReturn to Top
Original and photocopies of the various Donation Land Claim documents showing the lands donated to Pacific University by the founders and other early gifts. Includes deeds and abstract of title documents.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 8 | Deed/Abstract of Title - property from Harvey Clark and Emeline Clark (originals and photocopies)
Patent dates to 1859. One prepared by Forest Grove Abstract Co. and the other by Wilkes Abstract and Title Co.
|
1856, 1921, 1925 |
| 1 | 9 | Abstract of Title - property from William Stokes and Laura Ann Stokes (photocopies)
Patent dates to 1874. Prepared by Willkes Abstract and Title Co.
|
1943 |
| 1 | 10 | Abstract of Title - property from Elkanah Walker and Mary R. Walker and letter donating land (photocopies)
Document filed 1873 but patent predates 1856. Prepared by Hillsboro Title Co.
|
1854, 1923? |
| 1 | 11 | Deed - property from Josiah Linn and Mary Ann Linn |
1856 |
| 1 | 11a | Deed - property to F. H. Hoover (?) and Samuel B. Rafferty (?) |
1857 |
| 1 | 12 | Bond - property from Benjamin Catching and Lavinia Catching |
1854 |
| 1 | 13 | Survey report - property of Henry Buxton Senior |
undated |
| 1 | 14 | Property records, including lists of early grantors and grantees |
1856-1865 |
Series 3: Financial RecordsReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 15 | Subscription books (5) |
1855-1866 and undated |
| 1 | 16 | Subscription lists |
1849, 1875-1876 |
| Folder | Box | ||
Solicitation letters (2)
Prepared by the President and Trustees of Tualatin Academy to "beg leave to commend this Institution to the patronage of the Friends of Education in the Atlantic States." One letter authorizes G. H. Atkinson as agent, the other S. H. Marsh.
|
1852-1853 | ||
Writings on history of Pacific University and Tualatin AcademyReturn to Top
Histories of Tualatin Academy and Pacific University written by early founders and others.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 18 | "History of Tualatin Academy and Pacific University" by G. H. Atkinson, G. H. Collier and Horace Lyman (original and typescript) |
1876 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Pacific University
- Tualatin Academy
- Universities and colleges--Oregon
Personal Names
- Atkinson, George H., 1819-1889
- Brown, Tabitha Moffatt, 1780-1858
- Marsh, Sidney H. (Sidney Harper), 1825-1879
Form or Genre Terms
- Financial records
Finding aid prepared by Linda Morton-Keithley
2011
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
