Amos Eaton's Role in RPI's Early Years

Introduction

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) was established November 5th, 1824 through the efforts most know by Stephen Van Rensselaer, but many fail to realize the joint partnership in this institutions' beginnings were due in part by a man by the name of Amos Eaton. While Rensselaer provided the direction and funding, Eaton fueled the start of a science school that educated scientists and geologists, not engineers. Eaton's upbringing and tumultuous early career coupled with his life aspirations and early geological contributions bring to light the shear magnitude he has had in laying the framework for RPI's significance.

"Amos Eaton"

Early Life and Aspirations

Born in 1776 and passing away in 1842, he attended and received his B.A. from Williams College in Massachusetts. He later studied law in New York City, while serving in a multitude of capacities - from being a surveyor to being a land agent for nearly 3ight years for a Livingston Estate near Catskill, NY until he was jailed over a land dispute in 1810. He was sentenced to life at hard labor without clemency, the most severe penalty at the time at Greenwich Prison in NYC. After spending five years in jail, he dedicated his time to studying natural sciences from the warden’s son, John Torrey [1]. Eaton was pardoned in 1815 by Dewitt Clinton’s intervention, who was the NYS governor from 1817-1822 and 1825-1828 and was the main politician and driving force behind the construction of the Erie Canal. Following his release, he continued his studies in natural sciences under Benjamin Silliman and Eli Ives at Yale College in Connecticut. A year later, he became a lecturer at Williams College, where he published Manual of Botany for the Northern States and A Botanical Dictionary and contributed to The American Journal of Science and Arts. Eaton was selected by Stephen Van Rensselaer as first senior professor at the “Rensselaer School” (later called Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). Later, introducing the Bachelor of Natural Sciences and Civil Engineering degrees!

Eaton's friendship with Rensselaer

Eaton was known as the lively spirit and educator while Rensselaer attempted to direct and help support Eaton's aspiration for the school in its early years. He later published a detailed report in 1824 under the direction of Rensselaer titled “Geological and Agricutlrual Survey of the District Adjoining the Erie Canal”. This lengthy and detailed portfolio can be viewed in the Library of Congress [2]. It was a report that examined the geological formations and potential of the land surrounding the newly built Erie Canal, Eaton writing longingly from his efforts saying “I had traveled more than three thousand miles on foot, and two thousand by water and carriage conveyand, in search of geological facts, before I became a subject of our patronage.”

"Geological Profile from the 1824 Report drafted by Eaton given to the Hon. Stephen Van Rensselaer"

Geological Tours

Amos Eaton led several expeditions that led to multiple published reports and literature of groundbreaking geological surveying that founded what geologists today know. The more prominent expedition he embarked on was from May to June 10th in 1826. May 18th 1826, Eaton took 21 Rensselaer students along the Erie Canal from Albany to Lake Erie on his first geological tour, thanking Stephen Van Rensselaer for the expenditure of over $18,000 on behalf of the research. They left on a canal boat called the “Lafayette” that was towed to Troy, NY along the Hudson River.

November 23rd, 1826 Eaton wrote a letter published “Notes respecting Diluvial Deposits in the State of New York and elsewhere.” Eaton on his expedition took a Canal Survey which mentioned how he found a “diluvial trough” from Little Falls to the Erie Canal approximately 160 miles in length, saying it “could not have been scooped out and filled by an existing cause.” Eaton took this observation and yielded that it was physical proof of “the Flood” as recounted in the Book of Genesis [3]. The term “diluvial” describes a geological turning point associated with the Biblical Flood. The theory that the Earth was shaped by The Flood was often used in early geologists and scientists theories before the Ice Age was a known concept. Eaton in 1830 would later embark on another expedition, this one advertised more prominently as the “Rensselaer School Flotilla” for not only students, but also teachers.

Eaton's Apprentice

A young seventeen year old man by the name of Asa Fitch, of Salem NY, in 1826 caught word of the Rensselaer School and its educational opportunities. The School had only been open for nearly two years before this! Fitch became one of the youngest members of the 20 men in Eaton’s geological tour, including Governor DeWitt Clinton’s son [5]. With his father being a physician, Fitch was raised in the world of education and opportunity and started journaling from the age of 12 on his discoveries' [6]. Fitch, on his journey with Eaton, recorded his experience in diaries, and when he returned he attended the school and became a part of the class of 1827 [7]. Fitch later went on to new and greater heights, making a name for himself in the natural science world.

"Asa Fitch (1809-1879) - RPI Class of 1827"

Eaton's Other Notable Students

Ebenezer Emmons — Geologist; named the Adirondack Mountains, well known for his first ascent to Mount Marcy

Joseph Henry — Developed electromagnetism; student of Albany Academy, first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution

Emma Willard — Founder of Troy Female Seminary; later known as the Emma Willard School

Summary

The contribution of Amos Eaton in RPI's early years is often overlooked in significance. It is through realization of his efforts and intentions with guiding and educating young men and women in the field of science and geography that the history of this institution is deep rooted in the idea of making a difference through discovery. Eaton laid the foundation for RPI's growth and expansion!

References

[1] Whalen, Philip. “Amos Eaton, RPI, Noah, and the Erie Canal.” New York Almanack, 13 Sept. 2017, www.newyorkalmanack.com/2017/09/amos-eaton-rpi-noah-and-the-erie-canal/.

[2] Eaton, Amos. A Geological and Agricultural Survey of the District Adjoining to the Erie Canal, 1824, Library of Congress, https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/gdc/gdclccn/10/01/83/57/10018357/10018357.pdf

[3] Hall, James. Geological and Agricultural Survey of Erie Canal Long Map. New York State Library, 1824, www.nysl.nysed.gov/mssc/eriecanal/pdfs/bk-geological-agricultural-survey-erie-canal_long-map.pdf.

[4] Otto H. Muller. Laudable Legacy: A Synopsis of the Titans of Geology and Paleontology in New York State. New York State Geological Association, 1978, www.ottohmuller.com/nysga2ge/Files/1978/NYSGA%201978%20Laudable%20Legacy%20-%20a%20synopsis%20of%20the%20titans%20of%20geology%20and%20paleontology%20in%20New%20York%20State.pdf.

[5] Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. National Significance of the Erie Canalway. Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, 2011, eriecanalway.org/application/files/9814/5133/0135/07-2_National_Significance_Final.pdf.

[6] Rezneck, Samuel. “A TRAVELING SCHOOL OF SCIENCE ON THE ERIE CANAL IN 1826.” New York History, vol. 40, no. 3, 1959, pp. 255–69. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23153666.

[7] Rezneck, Samuel. “A COURSE OF MEDICAL EDUCATION IN NEW YORK CITY IN 1828-29: THE JOURNAL OF ASA FITCH.” Bulletin of the History of Medicine, vol. 42, no. 6, 1968, pp. 555–65. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44447334.

[8] Rezneck, Samuel. “AMOS EATON, ‘THE OLD SCHOOLMASTER,’ IN PRECEPT AND DEED.” New York History, vol. 39, no. 2, 1958, pp. 165–78. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23154944.