Follow the links to learn more about these early years of the University, when it was known as the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts.
A Transcription of the Minutes of the Board of Trustees of the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, 1866 - 1893
By Frank T. Wheeler
The University of New Hampshire has not always been a university and has
not always been in Durham. The school was first located in Hanover, NH, in
association with Dartmouth College, and was originally called the New Hampshire
College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts.
In 1866, New Hampshire Governor Frederick Smyth signed a bill providing for
the incorporation of the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic
Arts. Several locations had been proposed as the home for the new school, but
it was decided that Hanover would be the best location as the College could rely
on assistance from Dartmouth College.
The Board of Trustees of the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the
Mechanic Arts held their first meeting on September 28, 1866. The original Board
consisted of five members chosen by the state and four members chosen by
Dartmouth College. Dartmouth College would have representation on the Board
until June 1892, at which time the College was preparing to move to its new home
in Durham.
This transcription tells the story of the development of the New Hampshire
College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts through the eyes of the Board of
Trustees, from 1866 to 1893, prior to the school moving to Durham. The original minutes
can be found in the University Archives in series UA 1/2.
