Collection number: UA 2/1/1
Size: 3 boxes
(1 cu.ft.)
About Charles Sumner Murkland (1856-1926)
Charles Sumner Murkland was the first to be elected President of the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts following the college's move to Durham from Hanover, NH. Murkland was elected to the presidency by the Board of Trustees on May 18, 1893, and was inaugurated on August 30 of the same year. Although as a scholar and executive he was certainly qualified for the position, his lack of any agricultural experience or background made him a surprising choice for office.
Murkland was born on May 30, 1856 in Lowell, MA. In 1881 he graduated from Middlebury College as valedictorian of his class, and then went on to Harvard Divinity School, receiving a Bachelor of Divinity. He then finished his Master of Arts from Middlebury in 1884. In the meantime he completed one year of post-graduate study at Andover Theological Seminary. After a few years serving as pastor in Chicopee, MA and Manchester, NH, he was elected president of UNH. During his presidency, he received a Doctor of Divinity from Middlebury in 1900, and a Ph.D. from Dartmouth in 1903.
Murkland was an advocate of adding preparatory courses, and a two-year degree to the college. It is believed that his strong liberal arts and theological background contributed to the conflict between himself and those who felt the college should emphasize only agricultural sciences. Murkland argued for a broad interpretation of the Morrill Act, thereby requiring that the college try to meet the needs of all groups of New Hampshire's population.
Collection UA 2/4/1 contains the published inaugural address of President Murkland along with correspondence with the New Hampshire State Board of Agriculture. Murkland championed a broader liberal arts background for all students. The Board took issue with Murkland's statement concerning the possible addition of classical languages to the college's curriculum.
Murkland's influence greatly contributed to the growth and expansion of the college. The student body, faculty and staff doubled during his administration. By the end of his administration, Murkland felt he had completed much of what he had set out to do. He also stated that he felt constrained by the duties of teaching classes in addition to his responsibilities as an administrator. Murkland therefore presented his resignation to the Board, to take effect on May 1, 1903.
About the Charles Sumner Murkland Papers (1893-1903)
As president, Murkland was in charge of all aspects of the operation of the college. The bulk of the collection is correspondence with the Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations (AAACES) and the vendors and contractors working on the new agricultural building (Morrill Hall). Box 2 contains letters concerning the more mundane operations of the college.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
This collection is open.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the University of New Hampshire.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], [Folder], [Box], Charles Sumner Murkland Papers, 1893-1903, UA 2/1/1, Milne Special Collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH, USA.
Acquisitions Information
These records were transferred to the University Library for storage prior to the establishment of the University Archives in 1992.
Collection Contents
| Box 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 1, Folder 1 | June 1893-Feb 1903 | Letters of Acceptance and Resignation |
| Box 1, Folder 2 | June 4, 1895 | Report of the President |
| Box 1, Folder 3 | Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations (AAACES)- Correspondence A | |
| Box 1, Folder 4 | AAACES - Correspondence B | |
| Box 1, Folder 5 | AAACES - Correspondence C | |
| Box 1, Folder 6 | AAACES - Duties of Officers | |
| Box 1, Folder 7 | Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education | |
| Box 1, Folder 8 | AAACES - Correspondence from Henry Goddell | |
| Box 1, Folder 9 | AAACES - Correspondence H | |
| Box 1, Folder 10 | AAACES - Memoranda of Proceedings of Convention, 1897-1902 | |
| Box 1, Folder 11 | AAACES - Correspondence M | |
| Box 1, Folder 12 | AAACES - "Report of Special Committee on Codification" | |
| Box 1, Folder 13 | AAACES - Correspondence T | |
| Box 1, Folder 14 | AAACES - Correspondence from Edward Voorhees | |
| Box 1, Folder 15 | AAACES - Correspondence W | |
| Box 1, Folder 16 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence A | |
| Box 1, Folder 17 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence B | |
| Box 1, Folder 18 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Bids | |
| Box 1, Folder 19 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence C | |
| Box 1, Folder 20 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence D | |
| Box 1, Folder 21 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence E | |
| Box 1, Folder 22 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence F | |
| Box 1, Folder 23 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence G | |
| Box 1, Folder 24 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence H | |
| Box 1, Folder 25 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence I | |
| Box 1, Folder 26 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence J | |
| Box 1, Folder 27 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence K | |
| Box 1, Folder 28 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence L | |
| Box 1, Folder 29 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence M | |
| Box 1, Folder 30 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence N | |
| Box 1, Folder 31 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence O | |
| Box 1, Folder 32 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence P | |
| Box 1, Folder 33 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence R | |
| Box 1, Folder 34 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence S | |
| Box 1, Folder 35 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence T | |
| Box 1, Folder 36 | New Agricultural Building 1902 - Correspondence W | |
| Box 2 | ||
| Box 2, Folder 1 | Jan 1902 - June 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Agricultural Publications |
| Box 2, Folder 2 | Jan 1902 - June 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Book Orders |
| Box 2, Folder 3 | Feb 1902 - June 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Books/Library |
| Box 2, Folder 4 | Jan 1902 - May 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Coal |
| Box 2, Folder 5 | Jan 1902 - May 1902 | Correspondence Concerning College Bulletins/Catalogues/Other Info. |
| Box 2, Folder 6 | Feb 1902 - June 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Commencement |
| Box 2, Folder 7 | Jan 1902 - June 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Diplomas |
| Box 2, Folder 8 | Jan 1902 - March 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Forestry |
| Box 2, Folder 9 | Jan 1902 - June 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Gas and Oil |
| Box 2, Folder 10 | Dec 1901 - May 1902 | Correspondence Concerning General Requests |
| Box 2, Folder 11 | Jan 1902 - May 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Heaters |
| Box 2, Folder 12 | Dec 1901 - April 1902 | Correspondence Concerning the Home Correspondence School |
| Box 2, Folder 13 | Jan 1902 - June 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Job Openings |
| Box 2, Folder 14 | Jan 1902 - Feb 1902 | Correspondence Concerning John Philbrick |
| Box 2, Folder 15 | Dec 1901 - May 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Laboratory Supplies |
| Box 2, Folder 16 | Feb 1902 - June 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Lumber |
| Box 2, Folder 17 | Jan 1902 - May 1902 | Correspondence Concerning New Agricultural Building |
| Box 2, Folder 18 | Feb 1902 - May 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Newspaper Orders |
| Box 2, Folder 19 | April 1902 - May 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Ponoma Grange Meetings |
| Box 2, Folder 20 | April 1902 - May 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Prize Drill |
| Box 2, Folder 21 | April 1902 - June 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Prize Speaking |
| Box 2, Folder 22 | Jan 1902 - June 1902 | Correspondence requesting References |
| Box 2, Folder 23 | Jan 1902 - April 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Seeds |
| Box 2, Folder 24 | Jan 1902 - May 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Stationary and Library Supplies |
| Box 2, Folder 25 | Dec 1901 - June 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Various Orders |
| Box 2, Folder 26 | Jan 1902 - June 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Various College Agriculture |
| Box 2, Folder 27 | March 1902 - June 1902 | Correspondence Concerning Visits to the College |
| Box 2, Folder 28 | Jan 1902 - July 1902 | Correspondence Requesting Info on Agriculture |
| Box 2, Folder 29 | April 1902 - April 1902 | Correspondence with Blanche Coolidge |
| Box 2, Folder 30 | Jan 1902 - June 1902 | Correspondence with Manchester National Bank |
| Box 2, Folder 31 | Dec 1901 - June 1902 | General Correspondence |
| Box 2, Folder 32 | Jan 1902 - June 1902 | Invitations |
| Box 3 | ||
| Box 3, Folder 1 | Jan 1902 - March 1902 | Letters from Alumni |
| Box 3, Folder 2 | Jan 1902 - May 1902 | Letters from Parents |
| Box 3, Folder 3 | March 1902 - June 1902 | Letters from Students |
| Box 3, Folder 4 | Jan 1902 - May 1902 | Misc. Letters |
| Box 3, Folder 5 | Jan 1902 - June 1902 | House Bills and Legislation |
| Box 3, Folder 6 | Feb 1902 - June 1902 | Thank You Letters |
| Box 3, Folder 7 | Jan 1902 - June 1902 | US Civil Service Examination Papers |
| Box 3, Folder 8 | 1897 | Correspondence Regarding the Establishment of the Valentine Smith Scholarship |
| Box 3, Folder 9 | Typescript of Act to Establish Engineering Experiment Stations in Connection with Colleges | |
| Box 3, Folder 10 | 1898 | Address of President Murkland |
| Box 3, Folder 11 | 1902 | Specifications for the New Agricultural Building |
| Box 3, Folder 12 | 1902 | New Agricultural Building "L" |
| Box 3, Folder 13 | Bond for New Agricultural Building | |
