The Founders

The five founders of Cedarville College, Thomas Gibson, Richard Park, Hugh McMillan, Hugh McCollum, and James Morton, the pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Cedarville, comprised a committee formed by the Reformed Presbyterian Synod in 1885 to find a place to establish a Christian college for their young people. The founders prepared an Articles of Incorporation, which states the purpose of the college. “The object of said corporation is not profit, but to secure to its members and patrons the advantages of education in all departments of learning and knowledge and especially education according to the rules and disciplines of The Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America, to promote the interests of said Church.” With that document in hand, they obtained a charter from the state of Ohio on January 26, 1887, which provided the legal authority for the college to exist. It is still the charter under which the University operates today. With charter in hand, property was purchased in 1888 from the Orr family by one of the founders, the 9.3 acres on which Founders Hall now sits. So, the fund-raising efforts now began. Unfortunately, by 1890, in the absence of meaningful financial support, the founders and first trustees of Cedarville College found themselves facing the end of their dream. In fact, at the 1890 trustee meeting, there was a recommendation “that the whole enterprise be abandoned, that the treasurer be instructed to sell the lot...refund the money that had been contributed... and cancel the subscriptions.” Fortunately, the Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian church did not accept the recommendation. But what had started with much enthusiasm was now handicapped by a lack of sufficient funds to continue.