Editor's note: This is the last of five parts.
By PAUL LOCHER
Staff Writer
WOOSTER -- In 1866 the Presbyterian Synods of Ohio went looking for a town in which to locate a college. The primary criterion was they procure a reliable subscription of $100,000 to develop the facility. That amount could include the value of a piece of land donated for the college building.
The subscription campaign was led by Ephraim Quinby, who made the lead donation of $10,000. After a thorough canvassing of the city and surrounding area, the campaign fell $32,000 short of the required sum and the prospect of locating the university in Wooster appeared gloomy.
At this juncture, however, the Presbyterian Synod of Ohio, which happened to be in session at Wooster, appointed a committee to view the 20 acres of hilltop offered by Quinby as a site for the college. Impressed with the parcel, the synod agreed to accept the land at a value of $25,000.
However, of the $75,000 that had been pledged to the campaign, only $58,000 proved reliable. Nevertheless, the synodical committee was willing to accept the personal guarantee of Quinby that it would receive the additional $17,000. At this point the location of the Wooster University became fixed and final.
In the years immediately following the founding of the university, Quinby's donations exceeded $55,000. In addition, Quinby made liberal donations of money and real estate to churches, individuals and a variety of business enterprises, all aimed at advancing Wooster.
Quinby became a large owner and dealer in real estate, and in addition to his vast holdings in and about Wooster, also became the proprietor of expensive estates in Cleveland and other cities.
Historian Ben Douglass said of Quinby, "He enjoyed sound native sense, cautious judgment, keen foresight and accurate powers of observation."
Even today the memory of Ephraim Quinby remains indelibly tied to Wooster's downtown, with three major buildings he was instrumental in constructing around the public square continuing to prominently bear his name within their architectural elements.
Source: Douglass History of Wayne County.
Reporter Paul Locher can be reached at 330-682-2055, or e-mail plocher@the-daily-record.com.