Physics has always been a part of the liberal arts tradition of DePauw University. The first catalog, issued in 1839 by what was then Indiana Asbury University, outlined a full college curriculum, with natural and experimental philosophy (physics, in modern parlance) taking up part of the junior and senior course of study.  

At first, President Matthew Simpson, a largely self-taught Methodist minister and former physician, taught all of the courses except for languages. In 1840, however, the newest member of the faculty, William C. Larrabee, assumed responsibility for the natural science and mathematics courses. Larrabee was an Easterner who fell in love with the Indiana frontier; before coming to Greencastle, he served as a teacher and principal in New York, Connecticut, and Maine and had assisted in the first geological survey of the last state. The 1841 catalog speaks of the University's "large collection of minerals", many of which had accompanied Larrabee on his trek to the Midwest. 

In 1842, another division of teaching responsibilities was made. Larrabee continued on the staff as professor of mathematics while Charles Downey, who had been a mathematics tutor, was promoted to professor of natural science. Downey was one of the first students to attend Asbury (he is listed as a junior in the 1839 catalog) but finished his education at Wesleyan University. He held the natural sciences chair until 1849, after which he went to Indianapolis to become professor of chemistry and pharmacy at the Central Medical College operated briefly by Indiana Asbury.

Joseph Tingley, an 1846 graduate of Indiana Asbury, replaced Downey as professor of natural sciences. Tingley and President Simpson were cousins, both coming from the same small town (Cadiz) in Ohio. In 1843, at a time when Tingley was contemplating a trip to Europe to study art, Simpson persuaded him to come to Asbury; so began a stay in Greencastle which spanned four decades and included a 19-year stint as vice-president of the university.

In Tingley's day, the professor of natural sciences at Indiana Asbury was expected to teach courses in chemistry, physics, physiology, astronomy, botany, zoology, mineralogy, and geology. The content of the course work in these subjects can only be guessed at from the rather sketchy catalog descriptions of that time. Courses were identified by title, topics, and textbook; for physics, we find references to the texts by Denison Olmstead and Benjamin Silliman, both standard introductory expositions of the subject. The book by Olmstead, for example, is a noncalculus, encyclopedic text which, in its organization and choice of topics, bears a fair resemblance to present-day introductions to physics. (Olmstead's text contains some interesting examples of outdated terminology, such as "living force" for kinetic energy.)  Lectures and recitations based on these textbooks could be expected to provide the student with a solid background in the fundamentals of mechanics, optics, thermodynamics, and electromagnetism.

But physics is also an experimental science. To the credit of the early university trustees, it was recognized from the beginning that demonstrations of the practical applications of physical principles were an important part of the educational experience. The 1853 catalog reports that "the Chemical and Philosophical Apparatus has been made, by recent purchases, sufficiently extensive for all necessary illustrations. In this are embraced  Electrical Apparatus of the most convenient and efficient forms, Pneumatic and Optical Apparatus, and a fine achromatic Telescope mounted equatorially..." (The telescope was manufactured by Henry Fitz of New York. The "Pneumatic" apparatus referred to here may be the Chamberlain air pump, built around 1850, which now rests in the basement of the Julian Science Center. Today the Chamberlain pump is a rare historical remnant of 19th century physics teaching.) The university collection of physics equipment slowly increased over the ensuing years, but there is no evidence that students engaged in individual laboratory exercises for some time. The apparatus were chiefly used for classroom demonstrations. 

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