Elizabeth Cassidy West - On the Horseshoe: A Guide to the Historic Campus of the University of South Carolina

On the Horseshoe

A GUIDE TO THE
HISTORIC CAMPUS OF
THE UNIVERSITY OF
SOUTH CAROLINA

Elizabeth Cassidy West and Katharine Thompson Allen

Foreword by Walter Edgar

2015 University of South Carolina

Published by the University of South Carolina Press
Columbia, South Carolina 29208

www.sc.edu/uscpress

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
can be found at http://catalog.loc.gov/

ISBN: 978-1-61117-600-1 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-61117-601-8 (ebook)

Front cover photograph by Keith McGraw

Dedicated to all who have lived and worked on the
campus of the University of South Carolina

Walter Edgar

WALTER EDGAR

For more than two centuries, the Horseshoe at the University of South Carolina has been the historic heart of the campus. And, for a century, the area surrounded by Pendleton, Sumter, Greene, and Bull Streets (with the exception of Longstreet Theatre) was the campus. Even as the university began to grow and expand in the twentieth century, the Horseshoe remained not only the academic center of the campus, but the site for virtually any university event of any importancefrom Big Thursday pep rallies to graduation.

Just as the University of South Carolina has been called a Faithful Index to the Fortunes and Ambitions of the State, so, too, has the Horseshoeits buildings and their maintenancebeen a faithful index to the fortunes and ambitions of the University of South Carolina. Rutledge, the first building, was completed in 1805. During the general prosperity of the years prior to the Civil War, ten more structures were constructed on the Quadrangle (the nineteenth-century term for what we now call the Horseshoe). Today all buildings of the old South Carolina College have been declared a National Historic District under the terms of the National Historic Preservation Act.

The halcyon days that the Horseshoe enjoyed during the antebellum era ended in 1860. The next half-century saw the buildings and the university itself almost destroyed by the aftereffects of the Civil War and the rise of Tillmanism. The first decades of the twentieth century were lean years, too. Nickel cotton brought the Depression to South Carolina long before the stock market crash in 1929. Maintenance was limited or nonexistent. The New Deal of the 1930s provided some funds for maintenance and the construction of a massive new library, todays McKissick Museum. Further repairs were made to dormitories in the 1950s, but basically the buildings remained much as they had been in the 1880s.

The 1960s saw the main campus expand in all directions, but, in the hustle of new construction, the Horseshoe was neglectedalmost to the point of no return. There were discussions about tearing down some of the buildings. Questions were raised: why waste money on fixing up those ratty old dorms? As a former resident of Tenement 3 (Pinckney College), I can assure you that ratty was not simply a figure of speech. Anything edible had to be kept in closed tins, or it would be consumed overnight.

Then, in the 1970s, after years of neglect, the university began a decades-long restoration of the old campus. And, since the original restoration and renovation work of the 1970s and 1980s, the buildings have been maintained.

If students from the 1850s or 1920s were to return to campus, they would not be in unfamiliar surroundings. For example, the central portions of Rutledge College and DeSaussure College still serve their original academic functions, and the wings still contain student housing. And the same is true for many of the other buildings. The lawn between the north and south sides of the Horseshoe is still tree-shaded, although the original elms have, of necessity, been replaced by oaks and other hardwoods. The lawn was then, as now, a place for relaxation and special events.

The buildings form a powerful backdrop for some nine historical generations of Carolina students. There are powerful memories of events associated with it. The 1896 first Big Thursday game with Clemson (which Carolina won 126) was preceded and followed by student celebrations. During the 1920s Tenement 7 was known as Monte Carlo because Carolina gentlemen who wanted action could always find a card or crap game there. The 1950s saw the end of the Maxcy Monument test with the riveting of the golden ball in place. In 1963 the first black students since Reconstruction were registered. During seven days in May 1970, the campus was rocked by student demonstrations and riots. In a 1988 visit, Pope John Paul II declared, It is wonderful to be young; it is wonderful to be a student in the university; it is wonderful to be young and a student at the University of South Carolina. A live concert by Carolina alumni Hootie and the Blowfish was nationally televised in 1996, and it was here that ESPN broadcast its College Game Day in 2010 (before Carolina defeated #1 Alabama).

Whether you are one of the more than 100,000 alumni of the University of South Carolina or a first-time visitor to campus, you will enjoy this invaluable guide to Carolinas historic Horseshoe. And, whether in person or via the Internet, you will discover first-hand the place that famed historian Charles Beard once described as the most beautiful college campus in the country.

This work would not have been possible without the support of Jonathan Haupt, director of USC Press. Jonathan first approached us with the idea of turning the booklet The University of South Carolina Horseshoe: Heart of the Campus, created by the authors and published by University Libraries, into a full-length work in 2012, and his encouragement and expertise have proved invaluable. Special thanks go to Dean of Libraries Tom McNally for producing and continuing to endorse the booklet. Kim Massey of University Communications designed the map, and University Architect Derek Gruner lent his expertise in identifying the complex architectural style of the War Memorial. Laura Douglass Marion spent countless hours proofreading, fact-checking, and scanning images. The staff of University of South Carolinas Digital Collections have been generous with their time and expertise. Finally, a special thanks is owed to the superb staff at South Caroliniana Library, especially Visual Materials Archivist Beth Bilderback for her aid with many of the images, Director Henry Fulmer for supporting the project and us in our roles within the library, and Manuscripts Specialist Graham Duncan, who contributed many hours of his time and lent his considerable expertise on South Carolina history.

Images are courtesy of South Caroliniana Library.

In 1801 Governor John Drayton (17661822) proposed that a state-funded college be established in South Carolina. The impetus for the college was twofold. First, Thomas Jefferson (17431826) had initiated a state university movement based on his belief that state governments should provide educational institutions for their citizens. South Carolina College and the universities of Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia were all part of this movement. Second, Drayton hoped that a centrally located college for young men from across the state would promote ties among its different regions, which recently had been embroiled in conflict with one another. Legislative committees appointed to the task moved quickly, and on December 19, 1801, the state legislature passed An Act to Establish a College in Columbia. The act included the appointment of a board of trustees, which moved promptly to acquire land, hire a faculty, adopt a classical curriculum, construct a building, and enroll students. Classes at South Carolina College began on January 10, 1805, in the building now named Rutledge College.