‘Importunity Which Mocked All Denial’: The Amherst Charity Fund and the Foundation of Amherst College

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl I Hammer
Keyword(s):  
Early Growth ◽  
Historical Record ◽  
Williams College ◽  
Education Society ◽  
Amherst College ◽  
History Of ◽  
Noah Webster

This chapter discusses the complex history of the Amherst Charity Fund and Amherst College, located in western Massachusetts. The story of the Charity Fund, an independent fund which financed the foundation and early growth of Amherst College through designated scholarships and loans, incorporates many elements of the larger American myth. This chapter offers an alternative story based on the surviving historical record. In particular, it draws on the accounts of Noah Webster and Rufus Graves. It also cites the founding in 1815 of the Hampshire Education Society, whose aims contrast sharply with those embraced by the trustees of Amherst Academy, and how Amherst’s history was intertwined with that of Williams College. Finally, it highlights the important roles played by such men as Pastor David Parsons and Samuel F. Dickinson.

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