The Rensselaer School was established in Troy, New York, in 1824 by Stephen Van Rensselaer “for the purpose of instructing persons ... in the application of science to the common purposes of life.”

It is “...the first school of science and school of civil engineering, which has had a continuous existence, to be established in any English-speaking country” according to Palmer C. Ricketts in his preface to the second edition of his History of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1914).

In 1833 the school became the Rensselaer Institute, and in the 1850s its purpose was broadened to become a polytechnic institution. The name was changed in 1861 to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Institute is currently a technological university comprising five schools: Architecture, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Management, and Science.

Additional information on the history of Rensselaer:

From the RPI Archives (historical vignettes)

Administrative

• Founding Document
• Early Documents of Rensselaer - Founding documents, catalogs, and program notices, 1824-1834
• 125 Years of Chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Digitized History of Chemistry at RPI, 1824-1949

Biographical

• Presidents - Biographies and Portraits of Rensselaer Presidents
• Academic Heads - Biographies and Photos of Directors, Vice Presidents and Provosts
• Alumni Hall of Fame - Biographies and Photos of Inductees
  

Exhibits

• The Amos Eaton Exhibit
• The Approach - A massive granite staircase between Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and downtown Troy.
• Buildings 1824-1960 - Histories of Rensselaer Buildings and Campus Development
• Houston Field House History
• Photographic Reproductions of Work of Graduates, 1931
• Postcard Collection - Views of RPI and Troy, NY
• Symbols of Rensselaer
• Women at Rensselaer