Founded: May 26, 1812
Location: 198 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY, USA
Other names:
Hamilton-Oneida Academy
Overview
What began as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy to teach children of Oneidas and new settlers, was rechartered in 1812 as Hamilton College.
Details
Hamilton College is the third oldest college in New York Sate, and one of the oldest in the nation.
Hamilton’s ties with Vernon run deep. Founder Samuel Kirkland, Missionary to the Oneidas, had his mission in the town of Vernon. He gave the first sermon in Vernon Centre.
Elihu Root’s grandparents were among the founders of the Town and Village of Vernon, and his brother Oren II was often the fill-in minister at the Vernon Centre Presbyterian Church.
The Vernon Academy, a prominent regional institution, served as a feeder school for young men on their way to Hamilton College.
From Hamilton College Website:
“Hamilton College had its beginnings in a plan of education drawn up by Samuel Kirkland, missionary to the Oneida Indians. The heart of the plan was a school for the children of the Oneidas and of the white settlers, who were then streaming into Central New York from New England in search of new lands and opportunities in the wake of the American Revolution.
“In 1793, the missionary presented his proposal to President George Washington in Philadelphia, who “expressed approbation,” and to Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, who consented to be a trustee of the new school, to which he also lent his name. The Hamilton-Oneida Academy was chartered soon thereafter. On July 1, 1794, in ceremonies attended by members of the Oneida Nation, the cornerstone was laid by Baron von Steuben, inspector general of the Continental Army and “drillmaster” of Washington’s troops during the War for Independence.