Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College opens (1872)

The Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College opened in October 1872, not 1878, on the Solitude farm in Blacksburg. The institution was established as a land-grant military institute following the purchase of the Preston and Olin Institute facilities. The opening featured a small faculty of three members, marking the beginning of the school's evolution into Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

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Background and detail

Background. The Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College was founded in 1872 as a state-supported land-grant military institute. The Virginia General Assembly purchased the facilities of the Preston and Olin Institute, a small Methodist school for boys in Montgomery County, using federal funds from the Morrill Act. This acquisition established the foundation for the new institution on the site.

Campus Establishment. The central campus of Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College was established on the 250-acre Solitude farm in 1872. This farm provided the physical site on which the newly founded land-grant institution began operating at Blacksburg.

Opening Details. The college officially opened on October 2, 1872, with a faculty of three members. This event marked the transition from the purchased facilities to an active educational institution. The school later evolved, becoming known as Virginia Polytechnic Institute, with 'and State University' added to its name, eventually referred to as Virginia Tech.

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