{"id":782,"date":"2024-04-26T20:11:54","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T20:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kevinforsyth.net\/ELMAC\/?p=782"},"modified":"2026-04-17T01:30:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T01:30:42","slug":"rolla-carpenter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kevinforsyth.net\/ELMAC\/rolla-carpenter\/","title":{"rendered":"Professor Rolla C. Carpenter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Professor R. C. Carpenter, with his surveyor\u2019s transit, circa 1875. Image source: Kuhn<\/a>, p. 20k.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rolla Clinton Carpenter (1852\u20131919, M.A.C. \u201973, M.S. \u201976, LL.D. \u201907) has never had a campus building named for him, nor other significant tribute, but he nevertheless was a major asset to the Michigan Agricultural College\u2019s early development. During a fifteen-year tenure at M.A.C., he built the initial foundation upon which the M.S.U. College of Engineering stands today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carpenter earned his B.S. from M.A.C. in 1873, then worked for a year as civil engineer for a railroad company before the University at Ann Arbor awarded him a C.E. degree in 1875. He took his M.S. in 1876 from the Agricultural College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Rolla Carpenter was appointed Professor of Mathematics and Civil Engineering at M.A.C. in 1875, it filled a gap in the curriculum that had more or less been lacking since classes began.†<\/a><\/sup> Professor Carpenter taught a complete spectrum of interrelated classes including algebra, geometry, trigonometry, mechanics, civil engineering, surveying, and French. He also taught astronomy, holding class three nights a week on the flat roof of Williams Hall<\/a> until 1880, when he built the Observatory<\/a>. \u201cA brother, Louis G. Carpenter, \u201979, joined him in 1881 to teach algebra, geometry, and free-hand drawing. This released Rolla to teach mechanical drawing and later agricultural engineering in a shop which he fitted out in the original brick stable<\/a>.\u201d1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Engineering Shops, designed by R. C. Carpenter and built in 1885. Image source: Beal<\/a>, p. 148.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rolla Carpenter expanded the coursework in “mechanics” enough that when the state legislature appropriated funds to establish a new Mechanical course in 1885, he was tasked with planning its course of study alongside the newly appointed Professor of Mechanic Arts, Lewis McLouth. Carpenter also designed and supervised construction of the Engineering Shops<\/a>, which were funded by the same appropriation. He designed both the course and the shops in line with his teaching goal, which was to develop engineers. McLouth’s goal was to train students to become journeymen mechanics, which might have caused some friction; McLouth’s replacement in 1887, William F. Durand, was more in agreement with Carpenter’s viewpoint.2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to teaching and building up what would later become the core of the Department of Engineering<\/a>, Rolla Carpenter handled a range of other assignments, such as managing the earliest football team (for a year) and supervising the manufacture of some 400,000 bricks at the College brickyard. Meanwhile his keen surveyor\u2019s eye and steady draftsman\u2019s hand touched much of the early campus and city. A partial list of his engineering accomplishments follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cPlat of Collegeville,\u201d surveyed and drawn by R. C. Carpenter. Excerpt from the original filing as recorded in 1887. Image source: Michigan OLSR<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n