Central Washington University Archives
Guide to the Office of the President
Date: March 27, 2008
Date Span: 1890-1910 (bulk 1893-1897) Size: 0.5 cubic feet. Number of Boxes: 1 letter sized document case. Type of material: Correspondence. Physical condition: Fair with noticeable aging on some of the documents. Arrangement: Organized alphabetically by surname. Chronological arrangement. Historical or Biographical Sketch: The Office of the President at Central Washington University originated with the appointment of a Principal for Washington State Normal School by the Board of Trustees in the fall of 1891. The title of Principal was changed to President in 1914 and continues to be used to the present day. Benjamin F. Barge served as principal of the Normal School from 1891 to 1894. P. A. Getz served as principal of the Normal School from 1894 to 1898. Scope and Content Note: The collection consists of correspondence sent or received by the Principal of the Washington State Normal School (presently Central Washington University) at Ellensburg from 1893 to 1897. The bulk of the letters focus on financial and legal issues related to the development of the school and the change of location of the construction site for the new school building (Barge Hall). The collection contains correspondence received and sent by Principals Benjamin F. Barge (1893-1894) and P. A. Getz (1894-1897), letters from the office of Governor Ivan McGraw and members of the Board of Trustees of the Normal School. Included in the collection are requests for school catalogs by prospective students (1896-1897), a handwritten draft of a notice to building contractors for construction proposals (1893), land offers to relocate the construction site for the new school building closer to town (1893) and a petition signed by Ellensburg residents to retain Benjamin Barge as principal of the Normal School (1894). Research Note: Open to the public for educational research.
Inventory List:
Box 1
1. Attorney Generals Office to Board of Trustees, 1893-1894
2. Benjamin F. Barge - Principal, 1893-1894
3. C. W. Bean Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1894-1895
4. Board of Trustees, 1890-1894
5. Employment Inquiries, 1893-1894
6. P. A. Getz - Principal, 1894-1896
7. P. A. Getz Principal, January-July, 1897
8. P. A. Getz Principal, August, 1897
9. P. A. Getz Principal, September, 1897
10. P. A. Getz Principal, October-November, 1897
11. Ralph Kauffman Secretary, Board of Trustees, 1893-1894
12. Ivan McGraw Governor, 1893-1895
13. Martin Michels Land offer to the Normal School, 1893
14. H. L. Grimes State Auditor, 1894
15. John H. Morgan Instructor, 1897
16. J. H. Price Secretary of State, 1894
17. Requests for School Catalogs, 1896
18. Requests for School Catalogs, January-July, 1897
19. Requests for School Catalogs, August-November, 1897
20. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1893-1910
21. Draft of Notice to Building Contractors, 1893
22. Petition to Retain Benjamin Barge as Principal of the Normal School, 1894
Return to Central Washington University Archives Homepage