Our Beginnings (1888-1893)
With an eye to providing an education for their children and the children of future generations, the following men and their families were responsible for the beginnings of the Slippery Rock Normal School. Their foresight, hard work and perseverance has enabled us to continue providing quality education into the next millennium. Our Founding Fathers: J. T. Bingham, C. W. Bard, Rev. Robinson, J. E. Bard, J. N. Watson, J. M. Covert, F. P. Bingham, Dr. A. M. Patterson, J. H. Christley, J. C. Kerr, J. P. McQuiston, N. Christley, T. S. Coulter, A. J. Bard, W. Kaufman, W. H. Wilson, R. McCoy, Hon. J. M. Greer, and J. M. Galbreath.
The Three Original Buildings of Slippery Rock Normal School
North Hall | The Chapel | South Hall
Slippery Rock Normal School opened its doors to students in 1889 for the purpose of training school teachers for local communities. To the students and faculty at this time, the campus would have been rather small, consisting of three wooden buildings.
The three original wood buildings consisted of two dormitories; North and South Halls, and a main school building, the Chapel. The dormitories were 40 by 232 feet and three stories in height. They contained 150 rooms plus a reception room, dining hall, kitchen and store rooms. The main building was located between the two dormitories and was 60 by 100 feet with the first floor devoted to recitation rooms. The second floor was an assembly room containing 800 opera chairs, and a gallery with 200 additional seats.
The buildings were heated by steam, lighted with natural gas and supplied with pure, soft water. Arrangements were made for the following improvements during summer vacation: stone walks, bathrooms, a laundry, and ornamentation of the grounds.