Mansfield University - Carontawan Yearbook (Mansfield, PA)

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The year was 1854. Colonel Joseph S. Hoard and Dr. Joseph P. Morris, members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, set in motion what was to become Mansfield Classical Seminary (1856-1857), Mansfield Normal School (1858-1927), Mansfield State Teach- er ' s College (1960-1983), and will soon be- come Mansfield University of Pennsylvania of the State System of Higher Education. What Colonel Hoard and Dr. Morris began back in 1858-the rich traditions and high educational standards-are what we are cele- brating this year during Mansfield ' s 125th Anniversary. The first building on campus was South Hall, not the same South Hall that we are familiar with today, the first South Hall burned to the ground in 1857. It was rebuilt and en- larged in 1858 when Mansfield Normal School opened. Work began on North Hall in 1873 and was completed the following year. Over the years, additions have been built on the original structure of North Hall as it was modernized, but bascially it is the same North Hall that has been with us since 1874. How ironic it is that it will be this year, (Mansfield ' s 125th), that we will be saying goodbye to our old friend, the building that has been with us the longest, North Hall. As the years go by, things certainly do change. Old South Hall was torn down and replaced with Old Alumni Hall which was in turn, torn down and replaced with the new Alumni Hall which today houses our library and administration offices as well as class- rooms. Mansfield Junior High became Allen Hall and Mansfield Elementary became what we know now as Retan Center. Mans- field Athletcis were moved from Smythe Park to the new fields near where Decker Gymnasium stands, and the Gymnasium stands, and the Gymnasium became today ' s Recreation Center. As dormitories became classrooms and of- fices, new spaces was needed to house the students. The result of this was Pinecrest Manor in 1962, fo llowed by Hemlock Manor in 1964. As the school grew in enrollment, Maple Hall and Laurel Manor A were added in 1967, following by Laurel Manor B in 1969. The most recent additon to student housing has been Cedarcrest Manor which was built in 1976, bringing the total capacity of the on- campus dormitories to 2,042 students.