Union's set of models was aquired originally by William Gillespie, Professor of Civil Engineering from 1845 to 1868. Gillespie knew Olivier personally, and after Olivier's death in 1853, Gillespie purchased his private collecion from his widow.

Gillespie requested $1000 from the College to make the purchase, and Eliphalet Nott asked that $600 be set to him, but the College Teasurer, Jonathan Pearson, refused on the grounds that the trustees had not authorized the expediture.

As a result, Gillespie baught the models himself, and after his death in 1868, his widow sold the models to Union College, along with his extensive library.