University in Lafayette County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Barnard Observatory
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 1, 2023
1. Barnard Observatory Marker
Inscription.
Barnard Observatory. . Frederick A. P. Barnard (1809-1889) was the third president and first chancellor of the University of Mississippi, serving from 1856 to 1861. He joined the University of Alabama's faculty in 1838, and he started a Phi Beta Kappa Chapter there. In 1854 Barnard accepted a position with the University of Mississippi as a professor of mathematics, physics, civil engineering, and chemistry. In 1858 Chancellor Barnard, who was committed to making the University a respectable academic institution, addressed an open letter to the trustees of the University urging the creation of a Universitas Scientarium, a university that taught students and was dedicated to research across the spectrum of human knowledge, from science and literature to agriculture, law, and medicine. Barnard Observatory was built in 1859 using slave labor with the intended function of housing the world's largest refracting telescope, but the outbreak of the Civil War prevented the telescope from ever being delivered., Barnard also found himself enmeshed in a significant controversy regarding slavery. While he was away from his campus residence in 1859, one of his slaves, Jane, was beaten and sexually assaulted by a student. Jane described the incident to Barnard's wife, Margaret. A professor who saw the student leaving their house corroborated Jane's account. Chancellor Barnard expelled the student and would not allow him to be readmitted. The Mississippi state legislature and University board of trustees launched an investigation to determine if the student was expelled based on the testimony of a slave, which under state law was inadmissible against a white person. Although Barnard was exonerated by the board and given a vote of confidence, the inquiry led to accusations that he was insufficiently proslavery, and he left the University in 1861. Barnard later served as president of Columbia University from 1864 to 1889.
Frederick A. P. Barnard (1809-1889) was the third president and first chancellor of the University of Mississippi, serving from 1856 to 1861. He joined the University of Alabama's faculty in 1838, and he started a Phi Beta Kappa Chapter there. In 1854 Barnard accepted a position with the University of Mississippi as a professor of mathematics, physics, civil engineering, and chemistry. In 1858 Chancellor Barnard, who was committed to making the University a respectable academic institution, addressed an open letter to the trustees of the University urging the creation of a Universitas Scientarium, a university that taught students and was dedicated to research across the spectrum of human knowledge, from science and literature to agriculture, law, and medicine. Barnard Observatory was built in 1859 using slave labor with the intended function of housing the world's largest refracting telescope, but the outbreak of the Civil War prevented the telescope from ever being delivered.
Barnard also found himself enmeshed in a significant controversy regarding slavery. While he was away from his campus residence in 1859, one of his slaves, Jane, was beaten and sexually assaulted by a student. Jane described the incident to Barnard's wife, Margaret. A professor who saw the student leaving their house corroborated Jane's account. Chancellor
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Barnard expelled the student and would not allow him to be readmitted. The Mississippi state legislature and University board of trustees launched an investigation to determine if the student was expelled based on the testimony of a slave, which under state law was inadmissible against a white person. Although Barnard was exonerated by the board and given a vote of confidence, the inquiry led to accusations that he was insufficiently proslavery, and he left the University in 1861. Barnard later served as president of Columbia University from 1864 to 1889.
Erected 2018 by University of Mississippi.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1859.
Location. 34° 22.006′ N, 89° 32.008′ W. Marker is in University, Mississippi, in Lafayette County. It is on Student Union Drive west of Sorority Row, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Oxford MS 38677, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the North Mississippi Hills. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
More about this marker. It is among several plaques the university has installed to provide greater context about its past, particularly in relation to slavery.
William Kurtz via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (Public Domain)
3. Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard (1809-1889)
Barnard also strove to extend educational opportunities to women that were normally reserved for men. Barnard Women's College was established in his honor following his death.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 5, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 335 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on April 5, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
