Campus History

The predecessor of the US Coast Guard (USCG) was the Revenue Marine, formed to enforce the customs laws. The officers for the service were drawn from the Merchant Marines, and occasionally the US Navy, and political connections were often more important than competency. To ensure consistent training, the original Revenue Cutter School of Instruction became the US Coast Guard Academy, moving to its present location in New London, Connecticut, in 1932. Prior to that, instruction had been afloat on four different vessels, known as cutters, and ashore in New Bedford, Massachusetts; Curtis Bay, Maryland; and Fort Trumbull in New London. The training has grown from a two-year program, providing primarily practical seamanship, to one of the highest ranked small engineering undergraduate schools in the nation, offering nine majors and graduating male and female officers with a liking for the sea and its lore.

From the cramped quarters of New York City in 1922, childcare pioneers Ettie and Henry Schacht looked to the expansive woodlands of Connecticut for their school and found a perfect location in the town of Quaker Hill. The Schachts purchased 500 acres of farmland complete with two large but old farmhouses and an unused dairy barn. Over the years, a number of cabins, camp buildings, and farm and support facilities were added to the property, and in 1942, the program blossomed into a coveted and ambitious year-round boarding school. The Schachts inspired various specialized programs, including a special education school and residential and foster care programs. In addition, the founders established an ambitious outdoor education facility, its setting surrounded by an adventure challenge course, farm sanctuary, log cabin, and nature center. Celebrating its centennial anniversary, Waterford Country School’s innovative and successful Children and Residential Experiences (CARE) program continues to work around the clock to meet the special needs of children and families at risk.

Central Connecticut State University, established as the first public institution of higher education in Connecticut and credited with being the sixth normal school founded in the United States, will celebrate its sesquicentennial in 1999. Originally New Britain Normal School, it occupied two downtown sites from 1850 to 1923, when it was moved to its present site. In 1933, the Normal School became the Teachers College of Connecticut. It struggled through the 1930s and the war years before beginning its significant growth in the 1950s. By 1959, it had become a multi-purpose college and its name was changed to Central Connecticut State College. During the 1960s, the college tripled in size, and the enrollment approached 8,000 full-time students. With this growth came profound changes in practices and student behavior. In 1983, the further development of programs gave the college university status. Central Connecticut State University proposes to represent not only the physical growth of the institution but also to document the changes in attitudes, ideals, and styles during the 150-year period.

In a 50-room building that housed Connecticut's Civil War orphans, the University of Connecticut began in the fall of 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School. From this beginning comes a rich history of change that continues through the billion-dollar program known as UConn 2000. In these pages are many previously unpublished and many long-unseen images that chronicle 120 years of that transformation. Each era in the university's history has seen growth and change: the 1890s, when faculty and administration squared off in the "the war of the rebellion"; 1908 to 1928, when President Charles L. Beach changed the curriculum and fought for "the needs of the college"; the 27-year administration of Albert N. Jorgensen, which saw a small college become a major research university; the 1960s, when, under Homer Babbidge Jr., the university made great academic advances while facing the sociopolitical challenges of the times; and today, when unprecedented changes are rebuilding and enhancing Connecticut's flagship university.