Farmers High School - University Park, PA
Posted by: 
johmer79
N 40° 47.780 W 077° 51.756
18T E 258496 N 4520092
Farmers High School - The institution of higher learning that became The Pennsylvania State University.
Waymark Code: WM39ZM
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 03/02/2008
Views: 13
Farmers High School is a National Register of Historic Places district that encompasses the oldest section of the Penn State University campus, including buildings such as Old Main, the most famous, and most photographed building. Other buildings of note include several dormitories, the coal-burning power plant, Recreation Hall, and one of the prestigious Carnegie Libraries.
Some additional history from the NRHP application form follows...
The Farmer's High School was founded as an outgrowth of a revolutionary movement in education: the democratization of higher learning. Farsighted members of the Pennsylvania Agriculture Society saw a need for a new type of education in addition to that found in classical colleges. This new education would deal with production and industrialization. The curriculum envisioned by the Pennsylvania Agriculture Society would train farmers' sons in the most up-to-date food and dairy production methods aw well as more general matters.
The Pennsylvania Agriculture Society established a board of trustees to make all decisions pertinent to the new school. Many locations were considered, but Centre County's Nittany Valley was chosen. This is due to the fact that General Irvin, a local ironmaster, offered to contribute 200 acres of land in addition to 10,000 dollars jointly contributed by local ironmasters, if the school was located in Centre County. After the college was established in 1855, construction was begun on the first Old Main. With the exception of a barn and a laundry, Old Main was the entire school providing classroom facilities as well as housing for both faculty and students.
In 1862, the name of Farmers High School was changed to the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania. The name was again changed in 1874, to the Pennsylvania State College, and thence grew to expand its educational offerings to its students.