Map showing the grounds, buildings, and water systems circa 1900. This is the earliest extant campus map held by Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Research Center.
A May Day pageant was one of OAC's traditions in the early 20th century. The queen and king of this May Day celebration were Marie Cathey and Charles Watts, seen in the center of the photograph. The pageants were typically held on the lawn to the southeast of the Administration Building (Benton Hall).
This view shows several early campus buildings, including (from left) Waldo Hall, the Armory and Gymnasium, Agriculture Hall (now Furman Hall), Benton Hall, and the Mechanical Building (now Kearney Hall).
These OAC women are standing outside the front entrance to the college's first Mechanical Hall. Part of one of the floors of this building was used as a gymnasium.
Aitken was participating in the Waldo Girls versus Town Girls track and field meet. This competition was a precursor to OSU's intramural sports program, which began in 1916.
Dodge attended OAC in the early 1920s. He participated in the 1924 Olympics, where he finished 6th in the men's 800 metres, and the 1925 Pan American Games. He also ran for the Multnomah Amateur Athletic Club.
This building was designed by Albany, OR, architect Charles Burggraf. It was built to provide classrooms and labs for agricultural departments and also included offices for the experiment station.
The Orange Owl was a college humor magazine published from 1920 to 1928 by the Orange Owl Chapter of the Hammer and Coffin National Honorary Society at Oregon Agricultural College (OAC). The magazine includes humorous and satirical pieces as well as cartoons and pen sketches created by students.
OAC's Vigilance Committee consisted of sophomores who instructed the freshman class members in the traditions of the college. George "Gap" Powell is in the front row (kneeling) in the white shirt.
This hand colored photograph shows Lady McDuff, a record setting White Leghorn chicken bred by OAC's renowned poultry program. In 1913 she laid 303 eggs, a record at the time.
This group of graduates posed on the lawn in front of the Administration Building (Benton Hall) -- women forming the apostrophe and the "1", and the men forming the "0."
According to the OAC catalog, this class was "a course designed to give advanced students of Home Economics training in application of principles of cookery to conditions found in the camp."
Lower campus looking west at Waldo Hall, (Agriculture Hall (Furman Hall), Administration Building (Benton Hall), Paleontology Lab (Chemical Lab), and Apperson Hall.
Galvani, born in Russia, worked as a civil engineer and surveyor in Oregon. He bequeathed his personal library amd map colleciton to the OSC Library in 1947.
Class members included Rosa Jacobs (front row center), John B. Elgin (front row right), James K. Weatherford (top row right), Thomas C. Alexander, and Alonzo J. Locke.
Harvey L. McAllister, known as "Pap Hayseed," graduated from OAC in 1897 with a degree in agriculture. He served in the Spanish-American war and then worked as a farmer in Lexington, Oregon. Thomas Edward Palmer was a 1900 graduate of OAC in electrical engineering and served as the leader of the cadet band his senior year.
Vance DeBar "Pinto" Colvig studied art at Oregon Agricultural College from 1911-1913. Colvig illustrated cartoons for the 1913 Beaver Yearbook and worked with silent films. Colvig was known for his performances as Bozo the Clown and Disney character voices, including Goofy, Grumpy and Sleeping from Snow White, and the munchkins of Wizard of Oz.
Burkhart was a member of the Corvallis College Class of 1871 and was from Lebanon, Oregon. He was elected as the Alumni Association’s first vice president after its founding in early 1873. He also served on the college’s board of trustees in 1887 and 1888.
Blacksmithing courses were offered at OAC for "those who desire to learn how to make simple repairs and improvements about the farm and shop" (1909-10 catalog).
This greenhouse complex was part of an expansion of college agricultural facilities that began in 1889. Standing on the right is George Coote, instructor in horticulture. The Administration Building (Benton Hall) is in the background.
Line of cadet officers at parade rest with sabres. Columns of Benton Hall in background, stucco wall finish dates photo to after 1899. The uniforms in photo are of the pre-1908 style with soft campaign hat designs. Belted tunics with unexposed buttons. Possibly on graduation day waiting for commissioning.
Lower campus looking west at the Mitchell Playhouse, Fairbanks Hall, Administration Building (Benton Hall), a water tower, Apperson Hall (Mechanical Hall), and Chemical Lab (Paleontology Lab). The image was used in the 1938 Orange and Black and 1898-1899 OAC Catalog.
A new armory was built to replace the 1898 armory. The new armory was touted as one of the largest in the country. The building, designed by architect John V. Bennes, is known as McAlexander Fieldhouse today.