First Step, Fallen Friend
First Step, Fallen Friend The history of the University of Connecticut can be traced back to the Storrs Agricultural School which opened on this site in 1881 in the former Connecticut Soldiers' Orphans' Home. Later known as Old Whitney, the fifty-room wooden structure housed classrooms, student and faculty living quarters, and administrative offices. Having been razed in 1932, all that remains of UConn's original educational building is this stone step that today lays in the exact location in which it was originally set in 1866. Behind the step is the grave of Jonathan I. In the fall of 1934, students selected the Husky as their mascot, and the dog, an alumni gift, arrived on campus in December. Less than two months later, the animal was struck by an automobile, and was buried on Feb. 19, 1935. The marker was added in 1940. Commemorating UConn's 125th Anniversary 2006