Main Content
This online exhibition was first published in 2014 by Cornell University Library’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections. It accompanied and featured content from a physical exhibition of rare materials displayed in Cornell University’s Carl A. Kroch Library from October 17, 2014 to September 30, 2015. Cornell University Library archived the original version of the online exhibition in 2025 to preserve its earlier design. This version maintains access to the original images and text within an updated website.
On April 27, 1865, New York State Governor Reuben E. Fenton, in his chambers in the old State Capitol in Albany, signed the bill that constitutes the charter of Cornell University. The ideals of the founders, Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, reflected in this Charter, were remarkable in their day and constituted a truly radical educational experiment for the 1860s. This exhibit, part of Cornell's celebration of the Sesquicentennial, will provide a lively tour through Cornell's inspiring history through original documents, photographs, and artifacts.