Henry County historical highlights: Whittier College

SALEM ? The Salem Lewelling Quaker Museum (LQM) features a new exhibit.

A wall-mounted cabinet on the second floor features 16 finely etched names ? many familiar in Salem area history ? with the inscription, ?Students, Spring Term, 1883.?

The cabinet, in rough condition, was reportedly found in a barn near Wayland. The owner contacted LQM board member Faye Heartsil in the summer of 2015, and after some discussion among board members, it was acquired by the board for $200.

The cabinet, likely a bookcase, once sat on the floor. The base had rotted beyond repair and three of the four door panes were broken or missing. Fortunately, the pane with the etching remained intact.

Museum volunteer Dave Helman removed the deteriorated base, stabilized the pane and restored the piece as a wall hanging cabinet. It will be used to convey the Quaker history of Salem as relates to Whittier College.

Volunteer Mike Brown, has researched some of the names and, while more research may be indicated to be conclusive, it seems likely the persons listed were Whittier College students in 1883.

A name etched with the students is that of ?Guss Walter, Teacher.? Brown?s ancestry research indicates Augustine W. ?Gus? Walter graduated from Iowa Wesleyan University in Mt. Pleasant, in 1879 and served as Whittier mathematics instructor and possibly principal in 1883. There also exist records elsewhere that some students named on the glass attended Whittier at that time.

Whittier College, named in honor of poet and abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier, opened in 1868 on the upper floor of the Society of Friends meeting house in Salem. By 1876 the college occupied the entire building. On December 4, 1885, the building was destroyed by fire and a new college building was completed two years later.

Where lies the mystery? The glass pane clearly indicates ?Students, Spring Term, 1883? which is two-and-one-half years before the fire. Was the cabinet removed before the fire, salvaged from the fire, or not a Whittier cabinet at all?

LQM board members hope those having Salem roots can help clarify the cabinet history. The quality of the etchings and the spirit in which they serve as a reflection of the contribution of Salem?s early citizens to education.