Searching for the University’s Past
Pioneers dig up the 1861 cornerstone of the old University of Washington building to reclaim its secrets.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Chancellor James R. Hayden and Regents William D. Wood and David Kellogg invited Rev. David Bagley and Hon. Arthur A. Denny to proceed to the old university building and help search out the memorial cornerstone, as they wished to re-lay it in the corner of the new building. The old original cornerstone was laid with pomp and ceremonies on May 20, 1861. As they began to dig near the northeast corner, Mr. Bagley and Mr. Denny entertained the workers with reminiscences of the early days, their struggles to build the institution, and the lack of funds. Eventually, they unearthed a small copper box embedded in mortar. Inside was a well-preserved Bible, covered in a bright green mosquito netting that remained unfaded after a third of a century, alongside a pamphlet containing the Declaration of Independence and state laws. There were no coins, as the pioneers had none to spare at the time.
“I don't believe a man in town had any money to put in corner-stones those days.”
This story captures a fleeting moment of Seattle's early civic identity, when pioneers were still writing their own history. The site of the 'old university' in downtown Seattle is now a bustling commercial district, far removed from the humble copper box of 1861.
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