Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/666

 642 WILLIAMSBURGII WILLIAMS COLLEGE former and 3 m. from the latter. The city con- sists of three streets nearly parallel with each other. It is the seat of the eastern lunatic asylum of Virginia, established by act of the colonial assembly in 1769 and opened in 1773. This is the oldest institution of the kind in the country. There are two public schools (one male and one female) for each race, and Bap- tist, Episcopal, and Methodist churches. The Episcopal church edifice dates from 1678, and is still in good repair. The college of William and Mary is adjacent to the city. (See WIL- LIAM AND MARY, COLLEGE OF.) In 1699 an act of the general assembly was passed directing the building of the capitol and the city of Wil- liamsburg (so named from William III.) at the " middle plantation," and giving the governor power to incorporate the city. Several parts of this act not having been executed, it was re- enacted with additions in 1705. The charter was dated July 28, 1722. The seat of govern- ment having been removed from Jamestown in 1700, the general assembly met in the col- lege till the completion of the capitol in 1704, and again from 1718 to 1752, while the capi- tol, which had been burned, was rebuilt. In 1780, in pursuance of an act of 1779, the seat of government was removed to Richmond. The governor's house or palace, completed after 1710, was burned in 1781. The capitol was again burned soon after 1830. A battle was fought here between a portion of the federal forces under Gen. McClellan and the confed- erates, May 5, 1862. (See CHICK AHOMINY.) VILLIAMSBIRGH, an E. county of South Carolina, bounded N. E. by Lynch's creek and the Great Pedee river, and S. W. by the San- tee, which is here navigable by steamboats, and drained by Black river ; area, l,26o sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 15,489, of whom 10,148 were colored ; in 1875, 21,055, of whom 14,234 were colored. The surface is level and diversified by pine forests, and the soil is generally fer- tile. The Northeastern railroad passes through it. The chief productions in 1870 were 108,-* 487 bushels of Indian corn, 87,011 of sweet potatoes, 249,800 of rice, and 1,791 bales of cotton. There were 764 horses, 8,034 milch cows, 4,884 other cattle, 3,487 sheep, and 10,- 902 swine ; 12 manufactories of tar and tur- pentine, and 4 saw mills. Capital, Kingstree. u.i.misiti Ki.ll, N. Y. See BROOKLYN. WILLIAMS COLLEGE, an institution of learn- ing at Williamstown, Berkshire co., Mass. It owes its origin to the bequest of Col. Ephraim Williams, whose will (1755) directed "that the remainder of his lands should be sold, at the dis- cretion of his executors, within five years after an established peace ; and that the interest of the moneys arising from the sale, and also the in- terest of his notes and bonds, should be applied to the support of a free school in a township west of Fort Massachusetts; provided that said township fall within the limits of Massa- chusetts, after running the line between Mas- sachusetts and New York; and provided the said township when incorporated be called Williamstown." The property was sold, and the funds were allowed to accumulate till 1785, when a free school was incorporated by the legislature, nine trustees were appointed, and a lottery was granted for raising funds to erect a school house ; about $3,500 was thus ob- tained, the inhabitants of the town raised about $2,000 more, and in 1790 a brick build- ing (now the West college), 82 ft. long, 42 ft. broad, and four stories high, was completed. The free school was opened Oct. 20, 1791, the Rev. Ebenezer Fitch being the first principal. In 1793 the institution was incorporated as a college under the name of Williams hall ; the property vested in the free school was trans- ferred to the college, and a grant of $4,000 was made from the state treasury to purchase a library and apparatus. Mr. Fitch was ap- pointed president, and entered upon his duties in October, 1798. The academy was continued till 1806. The first commencement of the col- lege was held Sept. 2, 1795, when four stu- dents graduated. A catalogue was published in 1795, said to have been the first college cata- logue ever printed in this country; the col- lege had then 77 students. In 1815 the Rev. Zephaniah Swift Moore became president. Under his administration strong efforts were made to remove the college to Northampton, but the legislature refused its sanction, and in 1821 Dr. Moore resigned, and became presi- dent of Amherst college. He was succeeded by the Rev. Edward Dorr Griffin. The Berk- shire medical institution was placed under the supervision of the college in 1828, and this relation was maintained till 1832. During President Griffin's administration a large build- ing was erected, containing a chapel and other rooms, which is now known as Griffin hall. In 1836 he resigned, and was succeeded by the Rev. Mark Hopkins, whose reputation as a metaphysician gave a distinctive character to the college. Dr. Hopkins resigned in 1872, and was succeeded by the Hon. Paul Ansel Chadbourne, the present incnmbent (1876). In 1836 an astronomical observatory was built, mainly through the instrumentality of Prof. Albert Hopkins, who also erected and present- ed to the college a magnetic observatory. In 1841 the building known as East college was destroyed by fire, and in 1842 two new build- ings, East and South colleges, were erected. In 1846 a library building was erected and named Lawrence hall. Kellogg hall was built in 1847; Jackson hall, for the museum of nat- ural history, in 1855; Alumni hall, contain- ing a new chapel, in 1860; and Goodrich hall, containing the gymnasium and chemical lec- ture room, in 1865. Near the college build- ings is the "Mills park," on the site of and commemorating the prayer meeting of stu- dents in which originated American foreign missions. In 1796 the legislature granted the college two townships, which were sold for $10,000, and in 1805 and 1809 two other town-