John McMillan's Log School
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John McMillan's Log School is a landmark
log building Log buildings and structures can be categorized as historic and modern. They are placed in opposition to wooden structures built using frameworks, according to Eugene Viollet-le-Duc. A diverse selection of their forms and styles with examples of ...
in
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, southwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 180 ...
that was the site of John McMillan's frontier
Latin school The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Other terms used include Lateinschule in Germany, or later Gymnasium. Latin schools were also established in Colon ...
during the 1780s. It is a symbol of Canonsburg and Canonsburg's educational tradition. In 1930, ''
The Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'', formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'', was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for over a century, from 1884 to 1992. At the height of its popul ...
'' said that the building was "viewed by the pioneers with even more reverence than Pittsburgh now view the towering
Cathedral of Learning The Cathedral of Learning is a 42-story skyscraper that serves as the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh's (Pitt) main campus in the Oakland (Pittsburgh), Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Stan ...
in Oakland." It is one of the oldest buildings in
Western Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania is a region in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the Unite ...
. It is the "oldest educational building west of the Allegheny Mountains." The school grew into Canonsburg Academy, which eventually developed into
Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States. The college traces its origin to three Presbyterian m ...
. The building is rectangular in shape and is 14 feet long. It was originally located in a field a mile south of Canonsburg. McMillan based the school on the
William Tennent William Tennent (1673 – May 6, 1746) was an early Scottish American Presbyterian minister and educator in British North America. Early life Tennent was born in Mid Calder, Linlithgowshire, Scotland, in 1673. He graduated from the Univ ...
's Log College in eastern Pennsylvania. The building doubled as a stable when McMillan was not teaching classes. After only a year, the original building was destroyed by fire and rebuilt. The curriculum was a generalized classical education, including mathematics, grammar, rhetoric, natural history, Greek, and Latin, with a focus on preparing young men for Presbyterian ministry. It was moved to its current location in front of the Canonsburg Middle School, which stood of the location of Jefferson College, in 1895. After McMillan died in 1833, his family continued to operate his farm and used the building as a workshop space. Jefferson College students often made the pilgrimage from Canonsburg to the building. In 1894, the building was offered to Jefferson Academy, which then occupied the former Jefferson College campus. Jefferson Academy closed in 1910 and the maintenance of the building fell to
Phi Gamma Delta Phi Gamma Delta (), commonly known as Phi Gam and sometimes written as FIJI, is a North American social fraternity with 139 active chapters and 13 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania ...
and
Phi Kappa Psi Phi Kappa Psi (), commonly known as Phi Psi, is an American collegiate social fraternity that was founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania in 1852. The fraternity has over ninety chapters at accredited four-year colleges and uni ...
, two fraternities that were founded at Jefferson College. In 1930, the building was adopted by the national officers of
Phi Gamma Delta Phi Gamma Delta (), commonly known as Phi Gam and sometimes written as FIJI, is a North American social fraternity with 139 active chapters and 13 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania ...
. The original preservation plan called for the college to be protected by a steel and glass canopy. The fraternity agreed to fund the restoration of the building. In 1940,
Phi Gamma Delta Phi Gamma Delta (), commonly known as Phi Gam and sometimes written as FIJI, is a North American social fraternity with 139 active chapters and 13 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania ...
attempted to move the building to the campus of
Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States. The college traces its origin to three Presbyterian m ...
in
Washington, Pennsylvania Washington, also known as Little Washington to distinguish it from the District of Columbia, is a city in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 13,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...
, a plan that caused an uproar from the Canonsburg community. In response, Phi Gamma Delta let the town retake control over the building, which was then placed under the care of a "Log Cabin Association." In 2004, the Jefferson College Historical Society's Log Cabin Preservation Project Committee decided to restore the building. The renovation project was jointly funded by
Phi Gamma Delta Phi Gamma Delta (), commonly known as Phi Gam and sometimes written as FIJI, is a North American social fraternity with 139 active chapters and 13 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania ...
,
Phi Kappa Psi Phi Kappa Psi (), commonly known as Phi Psi, is an American collegiate social fraternity that was founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania in 1852. The fraternity has over ninety chapters at accredited four-year colleges and uni ...
, and the historical society's Log Cabin Fund.


Gallery

File:McMillan Log College.jpg, An engraving showing the building in its original location File:McMillan Cabin Original Site.jpg, The building at its original location on the McMillan farm File:McMillan Cabin 1895 to 1908.jpg, The building in its first Canonsburg location on the campus of Jefferson Academy File:McMillan Log Cabin Canonsburg.jpg, The building in its current location, showing the "L" landmark tag and the Canonsburg
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, bearing text or an image in relief, or both, ...


See also

*
Colonial Colleges The colonial colleges are nine institutions of higher education founded in the Thirteen Colonies, predating the United States. As the only American universities old enough to have alumni that participated in the American Revolution and the Foundi ...


References

{{Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Log buildings and structures in Pennsylvania Washington & Jefferson College buildings Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Washington County, Pennsylvania