Mills - Caleb
Born July 29, 1806 Caleb Mills was dubbed the “Father of Indiana Education.” As a first faculty member of Wabash College, he arrived in Crawfordsille in November of 1833 with a new bride, Sarah to begin their lives together. He had graduated from Dartmouth College in 1828 and Andover Theological Seminary in 1833. He began in the Crawfordsville Classical HS which opened the next month with only 12 students. When a charter was obtained from the state the name changed to the Wabash Teachers Seminary and Manual Labor College, and did not obtain the official name of Wabash College until 1851. Edmund Otis Hovey an old college roommate of Caleb Mills’ recruited Mills for the job. Hovey was one of the nine founders of the school and later on the faculty. Mills taught the nine boys in every subject and served as the pastor of a church six miles outside of town on the weekends. Beginning in 1846 for the next few years, Mills wrote an annual report to the Indiana Legislature on public education. His view was that a free public school should be provided. The plan was laid out – township school committees, district superintendents, school libraries and normal schools for the training of the teachers. In 1854, with his vast knowledge, he was elected Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction serving one term. He remained on the faculty of Wabash teaching Greek and served as curator of the college library until his death in 1879. The highest award a member of Indiana State University’s faculty can obtain is the Caleb Mills Teaching Award. He passed away October 17, 1879 and is buried with a nice stone in Oak Hill Cemetery.
Sources: “Caleb Mills.” Wikipedia.com
Source: Indianapolis News 7 Oct 1879 p 2
Prof. Caleb Mills, curator of the library of Wabash College is quite sick. He is one of the founders of the college, having been connected with it for over 40 years. (actually a misconception – there were 9 founds, his friend, Horace Hovey then hired him as the first teacher)
Source: Indianapolis News 18 Oct 1879 (Sat) p 3
Professor Caleb Mills of Crawfordsville died yesterday of pneumonia after an illness of two weeks. At the time of his death Prof. Mills was Rose professor of geology and mineralogy, professor emeritus of the Greek language and curator of the library in Wabash College, having been connected with that institution since 1833. He was born in Dumburton, New Hampshire July 29, 1800. He served one term as state superintendent of public instruction.
Source: Lawrence Kansas Stanrd 4 Sept 1879 p5
Prof. Caleb Mills was a guest of Hon. John K. Rankin while in this city, whom he came here to visit. Prof. Mills was formerly Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Indiana and Professor of Green in Wabash College. While here he visited the University and expressed great admiration for the view from the cupola, saying that it was the finest he had ever seen.
Source: Lawrence Kansas Daily Journal 29 Aug 1879 Fri p 2
Prof. Caleb B. Mills, of Wabash College, at Crawfordsville, Ind, is in Topeka, the guest of Col. Geo. W. Veale. The Commonwealth says there are several gentlemen in Topeka who graduated from the college and Prof. Mills has made a halt in his journal west to visit them.
Source: Greencastle Banner 17 March 1881 p 2
President Tuttle of Wabash College proposed that the teachers and pupils in the public schools unite in rearing a statue in the new capitol at Indianapolis to Rev. Prof. Caleb Mills, whom he calls “the father of the public schools of Indiana.” Prof. Mills lived and taught 46 years in connection with the Wabash College and was largely instrumental in making a radical change in the State Constitution in favor of the public school system, and in the passage of the law that have made the schools of the state what they are.