Preston and Olin Institute

The Preston and Olin Institute was a Methodist Academy established in 1851 in Blacksburg, Virginia, originally chartered as the Olin and Preston Institute. In 1872 it was acquired by the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (VAMC) which later became Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech).

History

When the Morrill Land Grant was passed by Congress in 1862 (in the midst of the Civil War), it applied for the federal funds that were to be given to the state of Virginia. In 1872, after a long battle involving many different Virginia colleges, the Preston and Olin Institute was selected to receive the funds and to become VAMC. As a part of the deal, two-thirds of the money went to VAMC and one-third went to Hampton Institute, an historically black college in Hampton Roads, Virginia.