In addition to classroom and lab work, OAC students studying entomology in 1890 were required to do fieldwork during their third year. According to the 1890-91 college catalog, “each student will, under the instructor’s direction, learn how to work with insecticides, and will be required to carry on experiments to discover the best means of preventing insect ravages.”
Cauthorn served on the college’s board of regents from 1888 to 1891, and was chair of the board’s executive committee in 1890 and 1891. He also served in the Oregon Senate from 1883 to 1891. As a regent, he spoke before the Oregon legislature in order to secure appropriations for OAC, including $25,000 in funds for construction of the first men’s dormitory. After Cauthorn’s death in 1891, the dormitory was named Cauthorn Hall in his memory. Two subsequent dormitories have carried his name.
The building was constructed in 1859 and expanded in 1876. It served as the primary bulding for what is now Oregon State University until 1888, when the new Administration Building (Benton Hall) was completed on the west edge of the original college farm.
The shop was located in the 1889 section of the original Mechanical Hall. This, along with other shops, served as the labs for students studying mechanics and mechanical engineering.
Composite cyanotype photograph of Oregon Agricultural College buildings. Buildings shown starting at the top left are: Mechanical Hall, Fairbanks Hall and The Greenhouses. View of campus with Benton Hall in background. Women's Center Building (Station Building), Alpha Hall, The Farm and Benton Hall in the center of photo
Originally named Cauthorn Hall and was later named Fairbanks Hall. It was constructed in 1892 as a men's dormitory. Women lived in the dormitory from 1912 until the early 1930s, when it was converted into a classroom building. The building is now home to the Art Department.