The College.
  History.
  GRICULTURAL and Mechanical Colleges in the United States
  A owe their origin to an act of Congress, entitled "An act donat- 4
 f ing public lands to the several States and Territories which
  may provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic,
 E arts," approved July 2, 1862. The amount of land donated was 30,000
  acres for each Representative in the National Congress. Under this
 ` allotment Kentucky received 330,000 acres. Several years elapsed
. befo1·e the Commonwealth established an Agricultural and Mechanical _
i College under the act. When established it was not placed upon an
* independent basis, but was made one of the Colleges of Kentucky Uni- _
versity, to which Institution the annual interest of the proceeds of
the Congressional land grant was to be given for the purpose of
 ‘ car1·ying on its operations. The land-scrip had meanwhile been sold
for fifty cents per acre, and the amount received—$165,000—invested »
in six per cent. Kentucky State bonds, of which the State became
custodian in trust for the College.
The connection with Kentucky Unive1·sity continued till 1878, when ‘
the act of 1805. making it one of the Colleges of said University, was -
repealed, and a Commission was appointed to recommend to the Leg-
islature of 1879-80 a plan of organization for an institution, including
an Agricultural and Mechanical College, such as the necessities of
the Commonwealth required. The city of Lexington offered to the y
Commission (which was also authorized to recommend to the General
V _ Assembly the place, which, all things considered, oliered the best
j and greatest inducements for the future and permanent location of
 [ the College) the City Park, containing iilty-two acres of land, within
 ‘ the limits of the city, and thirty thousand dollars in city bonds for
=* the erection of buildings. This offer the county of Fayette supple-
mented by twenty thousand dollars in county bonds, to be used either
for the erection of buildings or for the purchase of land. The oiiers »·
of the city of Lexington and of the county of Fayette were accepted
by the General Assembly.
By the act of incorporation, and the amendments thereto, constitut-
ing the charter of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Ken-
tucky, liberal provision is made for educating, free of tuition. the
energetic young men of the Commonwealth whose means are limited.
The Normal Department, for which provision is also made, is intended
to aid in building up the Common School system by furnishing prop-
i
f ,, E I .