210 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



College. The Commissioners, in their report, advised the accept- 

 ance of this proposition ; but after a thorough discussion in the 

 public journals, the Board of Agriculture and the Legislature, 

 this recommendation was not adopted. 



In February, 1865, the "Maine State College of Agriculture 

 and the Mechanic Arts," was incorporated, and sixteen Trustees 

 were recognized, representing the different counties of the State. 

 On the 25th of April, the Trustees organized by the choice of 

 Hon. Ilaunibal Hamlin as President, and they also issued an ad- 

 dress calling upon the citizens of the State to come up to the 

 work of the endowment of the Institution. At a subsequent 

 meeting, held in 1865, Mr. B. F. Nourse of Orrington, renewed 

 his offer of his farm and buildings, provided $50,000 could be se- 

 cured for the erection of the necessary buildings by subscriptions 

 or donations. This farm was visited by the Trustees, and durnig 

 the year they also visited sites for the proposed location of the 

 College in Topsham, Gorham, Augusta, Fairfield, Newport and 

 Orono, but no decision was made during the year. At a meeting 

 held in January, 1866, the offer made by the towns of Orono and 

 Oldtown, accompanied by an offer of $10,000 from the citizens of 

 Bangor, was accepted — it being considered by a large majority 

 the most advantageous offer that had been made. In April of the 

 same year, Dr. J. C. Weston of Bangor, was elected Clerk of the 

 Board of Trustees, and in September, Mr. Hamlin having previ- 

 ously resigned, Hon. W. A. P. Dillingham of Sidney, was elected 

 President of the Board. This Board, at a meeting held January 

 22d, 1867, elected as President of the College, Hon. Phiuehas 

 Barnes of Portland, a gentleman who had previously been elected 

 Treasurer, and who had from the first inception of this movement 

 taken a deep interest in its success — having written a series of 

 articles on the establishment and management of the College 

 which had attracted wide attention The election of Mr. Barnes 

 was the last act of this Board. It had found from its large num- 

 ber, and the difficulty of calling meetings at which a quorum 

 would be present, that a re-organization would be desirable. Ac- 

 cordingly a new Board was constituted, consisting of seven mem- 

 bers, of which Hon. Abner Coburn of Skowhegan was elected 

 President, and Hon. Lyndon Oak of Garland, Clerk. 



In 1867, a college building, now known as White Hall, and 

 used for recitation purposes, was built, and the general farm build- 

 ings thoroughly repaired. At the meeting of the Trustees held 



