Thanks Jim.  I should have realized the extremely high focus on agriculture
in those schools, ala even today the Texas (A&M) Aggies, the Utah Aggies, et
al.

Ga Tech may have been an exception since even today, it is the University of
Georgia that has the agriculture school.  And back in 1985 when Ga Tech
celebrated its 100th, I think I recall reading that 'they' modeled their
focus more on the practical side as defined by ___ I forget whom, vs the
theoretical side of MIT.

Randy Cabell

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Watkinson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 5:04 PM
Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] Engineers in the antebellum south


> Indeed, VMI certainly offered "engineering" (the meaning of the term
> changed
> considerably even in the short time b/w, say 1840 and 1875) in the
> antebellum era, along with the Citadel, but getting faculty anywhere was
> problematic,
> and many were imported.  Most famous in Virginia, probably  Claudius
> Crozet.
> Most of home-grown can only be described as  autodidacts.  It's
> interesting to
> note that one of the great engineering  feats in the history of the
> country
> was done when there WERE no professional,  home-grown engineers: the Erie
> Canal.
>
> As a side note, the land-grant schools were begun as ag schools; it was
> only
> later that the emphasis in many switched to engineering.
>
> Jim Watkinson
>
>
> James D. Watkinson
> History Department
> Virginia Commonwealth University
>
>
>
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