Fayette R. Buell

Fayette Rufus Buell is best remembered as the visionary and founder of Western Maryland College, now McDaniel College. Born April 27, 1833 in Lebanon, New York, Buell was educated at Cazenovia Seminary (now part of Cornell University) and at a school in Hamilton, New York. Buell moved to Carroll County in 1854 to oversee a school on the property of Abner Baile, near New Windsor. He married Baile’s daughter, Ellen, and together the couple had nine children, three of whom died in infancy.

The Buells moved to Peoria Illinois for a time but returned to Carroll County in 1858 to open another school. The Westminster Male and Female School opened on April 16, 1860 at 203 Pennsylvania Ave in Westminster, Md. The school was subsequently renamed Westminster Seminary in 1863. Encouraged by the success of his academy, Buell determined to open a college in Westminster. Through the guidance of J.T. Ward and the financial support from John Smith of Wakefield and Isaac Baile, Buell secured the necessary funding and land to open what would become Western Maryland College.

Construction began on August 27th, 1866 and the college officially opened on September 4th, 1867. During the college’s first year, Buell taught mathematics and vocal music and continued to oversee the school’s operation. By spring of that year, it was clear that the college was in serious financial peril. To secure its financial well-being and future operations, Ward, Smith, and Baile applied to have the College chartered and purchased from Buell to be operated by the Board of Trustees. Following the purchase, Buell ceased to play an active role at Western Maryland College though he would remain a trustee until 1872.

Following his disassociation with WMC, Buell opened another academy in Westminster and toured musically with his family under the Buell Family Concert. He and his family moved to Philadelphia where Buell resided for thirty years before passing away in Williamstown, New Jersey in 1913 at the age of seventy-nine.