Williamson College of the Trades (formerly Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades) is a private men's junior

vocational college A university of applied sciences (UAS), nowadays much less commonly called a polytechnic university or vocational university, is an institution of higher education and sometimes research that provides vocational education and grants academic de ...

in Middletown Township, near

Media, Pennsylvania Media is a borough in and the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is located about west of Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation with 1.6 million residents as 2020. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropol ...

. The school was founded on December 1, 1888, by Philadelphia merchant and philanthropist Isaiah Vansant Williamson.

History

Historic dates

* December 1, 1888– "''Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades''" is founded by Isaiah Vansant Williamson * March 7, 1889– Isaiah Vansant Williamson passes away, the day after he approves the site for the school's campus. * October 31, 1891– The campus formally opens. * 1957– After most of the shop buildings are destroyed by fire, four new shop buildings are constructed and named "''The John Wanamaker Free School of Artisans''" and funded by the Rodman Wanamaker estate. * 1961– Williamson School becomes a post-secondary institution. * March, 2008- Henry and Lee Rowan and H. FitzGerald (Gerry) and Marguerite Lenfest donate $45 million to the school's endowment. * July 1, 2015– "''Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades''" is officially renamed "''Williamson College of the Trades"''

Planning and founding

After contemplating the idea since the 1850s, Isaiah Williamson spent the final decade of his life formulating and developing the concept for a new trade school for underprivileged boys to be located in a suburb of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. Williamson personally drafted the Foundation of Deed, which he presented to the board of trustees on December 1, 1888. The charter members of the board of trustees were all accomplished in their own right, consisting of mostly tradesmen, who were colleagues and friends of Williamson. The seven charter trustees included: John Baird, James C. Brooks, Lemuel Coffin, Edward Longstreth, William C. Ludwig, Henry C. Townsend, and Williamson's close friend and protege,

John Wanamaker John Wanamaker (July 11, 1838December 12, 1922) was an American merchant and religious, civic and political figure, considered by some to be a proponent of advertising and a "pioneer in marketing". He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a ...

. Baird was chosen as president of the trustees (after Wanamaker declined the position), and Brooks and Helmbold were selected as treasurer and secretary, respectively. John M. Shrigley was also appointed secretary and President of the school. He took the lead in developing the campus and implementing the curriculum.

Campus

On March 6, 1889, the day before he died, Isaiah Williamson approved the purchase of 220 acres of land to be used for the school's campus in Middletown Township, near

Elwyn, Pennsylvania Elwyn is an unincorporated community located in Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania Middletown Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 15,807 at the 2010 census. The Pennsylvania ...

. The site was selected from over 200 prospective locations, and the trustees acted quickly to secure the property and carry out Williamson's vision for the institution. The campus was later described by John Wanamaker as "''... gently rolling country with its springs and water courses, its broad pastures, its woodland acres of old oaks and chestnuts, its distant views of fertile farms, thriving towns—natural beauties enhanced by wise and not overdone landscape gardening, winding macadamized drives, and an artistic as well as convenient grouping of the various school buildings"''. Renowned Philadelphia architect,

Frank Furness Frank Heyling Furness (November 12, 1839 - June 27, 1912) was an American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his diverse, muscular, often unordinarily scaled b ...

won the design competition for the original campus buildings. His design was selected from among the other invited submissions for its understated details and simplicity. Ground was broken for the administration building in 1890 and the campus opened for classes in September, 1891. The original campus buildings consisted of: the Administration Building, the boiler house, a shop building, the Superintendent's residence and 3 cottages. Most of the original buildings are still functioning as they were originally purposed. Over the decades, Williamson has maintained a rustic feel to its campus by keeping the majority of its land undeveloped. The current facilities on the campus include: *Rowan Hall – administrative offices, student lounge, dining room, and the chapel (originally "Main Building", renamed on November 15, 2016). *The John Wanamaker Free School of Artisans – includes modern carpentry, machine, paint, and masonry shops. *Walter M. Strine, Sr. 2W9 Learning Center – library, placement office, faculty and administrative offices, and classrooms. *Lipp Educational Center – classrooms, faculty offices, a computer laboratory, a resource room with a technical library, and three separate laboratories. *Dorrance H. Hamilton Horticultural Center – complex of facilities supporting the horticulture program, named for the philanthropist Mrs. Dorrance Hill Hamilton. *William L. McLean, Jr. Technical Center – technical center named in honor of newspaper executive, William L. McLean, Jr. *The Restall Sports Center – completed in 1988, includes a basketball court, indoor running track, weight room, locker rooms, offices, lounge, and laundry facilities. *Student housing – twelve dormitories, including Byers Hall I & II, C Cottage, Derrickson, Eyre, George, Jenks, Longstreth, Smith, Stell, Townsend, and Watson (2017). *Faculty homes – on-campus housing for faculty members. *Athletic fields – baseball, football, lacrosse, and soccer fields, and tennis courts. * Williamson School station – train station located on campus, constructed shortly after the school was founded in 1889. The station ended service in 1986. *Alumni Hall – houses the Clarence W. Schrenk Program in Horticulture, Landscaping, and Turf Management, which maintains two greenhouses and many gardens, including the Sabia Garden adjacent to the McLean Technical Center.

Pennsylvania historical marker

In 2013, a

historical marker A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...

from the

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage. The commission cares fo ...

was placed near the campus' main entrance in commemoration of the school's 125th anniversary and its noteworthy architecture. The historical marker (''#HM1D5B'') reads:

Founded in 1888 by philanthropist Isaiah V. Williamson to teach underprivileged young men "some trade, free of expense" via a character ~ based curriculum. With trade apprenticeships disappearing in the US in the late 19th century, it was a model in vocational education. It is the only trade school in the nation providing full scholarships to all students. The campus contains the largest existing collection of buildings designed by Frank Furness.

Student life

Although the vocational school subscribes to a "

Judeo-Christian The term Judeo-Christian is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism, Christianity's borrowing of Jewish Scripture to constitute the "Old Testament" of the Christian Bible, o ...

" belief system, and enforces a highly disciplined lifestyle, it is not affiliated with any religious organization. Williamson is the only trade college in the country that gives all students full

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

s, covering

tuition Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth English, are fees charged by education institutions for instruction or other services. Besides public spending (by governments and other public bo ...

textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textbook ...

s, and room and board. The college uses its

endowment Endowment most often refers to: *A term for human penis size It may also refer to: Finance * Financial endowment, pertaining to funds or property donated to institutions or individuals (e.g., college endowment) *Endowment mortgage, a mortgage to ...

to cover two-thirds of student costs each year, with the balance coming from private donations and

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

. Williamson College of the Trades is accredited by the

Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the United States that provides national accreditation to private post-secondary educational institutions. It is recognized by t ...

. All students are required to live on-campus throughout their three years of study. Students live in supervised

dormitories A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

, attend a daily

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

service, and follow a

dress code A dress code is a set of rules, often written, with regard to what clothing groups of people must wear. Dress codes are created out of social perceptions and norms, and vary based on purpose, circumstances, and occasions. Different societies a ...

. Students must also participate in at least one official student activity each year. Choices include: team

sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

s, the

student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also rep ...

, and

student government A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to so ...

. Courses are offered in the following trades: *

Carpentry Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters t ...

* Machine Tool technology * Power Plant technology *

Horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

Masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

Landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

Painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and a ...

Graduates receive an

Associate's degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of Tertiary education, post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelo ...

in their chosen field, but may opt for a

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

in Carpentry or Masonry.Trade programs
/ref>

References

External links

*
Official websiteWilliamson Mechanics Athletics Website
{{authority control Garden State Athletic Conference Men's universities and colleges in the United States Educational institutions established in 1888 Frank Furness buildings Universities and colleges in Delaware County, Pennsylvania USCAA member institutions Junior colleges 1888 establishments in Pennsylvania Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania