11/01/1800 AD founded
Middlebury receives its founding charter as an outgrowth of the Addison County Grammar School, which had been founded three years earlier in 1797.
The college's founding religious affiliation was loosely Congregationalist. Yet the idea for a college was that of town fathers rather than clergymen, and Middlebury was clearly "the Town's College" rather than the Church's. Chief among its founders were Seth Storrs and Gamaliel Painter, the former credited with the idea for a college and the latter as its greatest early benefactor.
In addition to receiving a diploma upon graduation, Middlebury graduates also receive a replica of Gamaliel Painter's cane. Painter bequeathed his original cane to the college and it is carried by the college President at official occasions including first-year convocation and graduation.
The college's first president—Jeremiah Atwater—began classes a few days later, making Middlebury the first operating college or university in Vermont. One student named Aaron Petty graduated at the first commencement held in August 1802.
Lattitude: 44.0019° N
Longitude: 73.1455° W
Region: North America
Modern Day United States
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Middlebury College Private liberal arts col...
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