One of Virginia’s nicknames is the “Mother of Presidents.” Eight presidents were born here, including the very first, George Washington.
He not only was a founding father, but also a savior to a fledging college that now bears his name.
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Inside Washington and Lee University lies a treasured document: a letter from George Washington to the trustees of what was once called Liberty Hall Academy.
Archivist Seth Goodheart showed 10 News the letter during a recent visit to the university.
“To promote literature in this rising empire and to encourage the arts have ever been amongst the warmest wishes of my heart,” the letter reads in part.
After the American Revolution, the Virginia General Assembly granted Washington stock worth about $20,000 in the James River Company. Its leaders planned to build a system of canals to move goods and promote commerce.
But the man who could not tell a lie would also not accept gifts of stock.
“He considered that that was a public service and he would take no compensation for his war service,” Goodheart said.
Eventually, Washington agreed to pass along the stock to an institution of higher learning. Colleges across the commonwealth lobbied for the gift, but in the end, the small and struggling Liberty Hall Academy won out.
“He saved this place in so many ways,” said Goodheart, who manages Washington and Lee’s special collections and archives.
The trustees accepted the gift and also voted to rename the school in Washington’s honor.
Historians say Washington’s decision was vital to the development of the university and the region.
“This was not an emergent nation’s capital or Georgetown. This was not the College of William and Mary. He could have upped that endowment,” said Eric Wilson, executive director of the Rockbridge Historical Society. “He sought to develop the frontier, which he had fought on as a British soldier, which he had surveyed. He was instrumental in creating institutions that helped this area particularly grow.”
The gift helped the university endure, even after a devastating fire in 1803.
University lore says the fire is still paying dividends, helping fund scholarships for students at what is now Washington and Lee University to this day.
What else survived the fire? The letter, which expresses a founding father’s gratitude for an honor he made possible.
“This letter is obviously the cornerstone and one of the most treasured documents in Washington and Lee University’s history,” Goodheart said.