James Graham Land Grant
This document records the purchase of 160 acres in Washington County, Kansas under the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862. It is signed by Charles White on behalf of President Ulysses S. Grant. On the back, there is a handwritten record of the deed's filing in October of 1873. The proceeds of this sale supported agricultural and mechanical education in Tennessee. As East Tennessee University had been designated the land grant school for Tennessee in 1869, the sale benefited this school that later became the University of Tennessee.
Dates
- 1870 May 20
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Extent
2.5 Linear Feet
Abstract
This document records the purchase of 160 acres in Washington County, Kansas under the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862. It is signed by Charles White on behalf of President Ulysses S. Grant. On the back, there is a handwritten record of the deed's filing in October of 1873. The proceeds of this sale supported agricultural and mechanical education in Tennessee. As East Tennessee University had been designated the land grant school for Tennessee in 1869, the sale benefited this school that later became the University of Tennessee.
Biographical/Historical Note
The Morrill Land Grant Act, introduced by Justin Smith Morrill of Vermont, provided each state 30,000 acres of land for each congressman it had in Washington. As this land was sold, the proceeds were to be used to benefit highter education, particularly in the mechanical and agricultural arts, either by improving existing institutions or by establishing new ones. It was finally passed during the Civil War in the absence of Southern congressmen who opposed federal participation in state education.
East Tennessee University was the predecessor of the University of Tennessee. It shut down in 1862 when Confederate Armies occupied the three main college buildings on the Hill. The buildings were used as barracks and hospitals for the wounded and were occupied later by the Union Army for the same purposes. Following the War, the buildings were restored and remained in use until 1919, when they were demolished to make way for Ayres Hall.
Arrangement
This collection consists of a single oversize folder.
Acquisition Note
This document was a gift to Special Collections from Bob Wegner in 2011.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository