Franklin Institute of Rochester collection

Collection — Folder: 1

Identifier: RITArc-0030

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Franklin Institute of Rochester collection contains mostly excerpts about the organization and its activities. These excerpts come from various sources including articles published in the Rochester Telegraph and the Rochester Daily Advertiser. There is also a copy of the October 25, 1826 issue of the Rochester Daily Advertiser. This is the newspaper's first printing and contains an article describing the establishment of the Franklin Institute of Rochester and the organization's proposed plans for future development.

Additionally, the collection contains a list of members of various Rochester associations, including the Franklin Institute.

Dates

Creation: 1826-1831

Creator

Franklin Institute of Rochester (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers.

Biographical / Historical

During the 1820s, Rochester, NY was a rapidly growing city, the result of its location at the crossroads of the Genesee River and the newly constructed Erie Canal (opened 1825). The Franklin Institute of Rochester was founded on October 13, 1826 as the first organization in the city dedicated to higher education.

According to the Institute's application for incorporation, the organization was meant to support the "cultivation of literature, science and the arts." Yet, the organization's primary focus was always science. The Institute supported the establishment of:

A Library for the use of the members, of books on the arts, sciences, and manufacturers

A museum of models of mechanics

A cabinet of mineralogy, geology, and chemical substances, scientifically arranged

Lectures and apparatus for illustrating the sciences connected with the mechanic arts

Mutual instruction in elementary science, as far as practicable

Extent

1 Folder(s)

Language

English

Additional Description

Overview

Documents related to the Franklin Institute in Rochester, N.Y. The Institute existed from 1826-1833 and was an early predecessor of the Rochester Institute of Technology. The collection includes newspaper excerpts and a membership list.