University of Delaware - Blue Hen Yearbook (Newark, DE)

Page 20 text:

OuR fine University library of today goes back in origin to the special libraries of the Athenaean and Delta Phi literary societies. These two rival societies became very active shortly after the reopening of the College in 1870. They held a place of great importance in the College and one hardly to be ungersmod by the students of today. One of the main points of their friendly but earnest rivalry was that of their age; it is safe to say, however, that they were founded very close together dyurl'ng the year 1835, Besides their literary and forensic exercises, these societies developed individual libraries. They were not large, prob- ably less than 1500 volumes each, but they were mainly well selected. For many years, these libraries provided the only general reading Facinh'es for the students. In 1896 an appropriation was made for a General Library. The libraries of the Athenasan and Delta Phi, together with new books which were purchased, were housed and cata- logued on the second floor of Recitation Hall. Not long after this they were transferred to the top floor of the same building. From here we trace them to Purnell Hall, and then to an old building on the corner of Main Street and South College Avenue. Here they were housed until the erection of the present Delaware Memorial Library in 1924 at the end of the Green .

Page 22 text:

IN the early days of the history of the College, student and public assemblies were held in a large room in the Oratory , as Old College was then called. It was here that for several years the students were required to attend morning prayers at half-past six. At the end of their three- ear course this large room, bare and unadorned except For the decorations put up by the students in honor of their literary societies, served as a commencement hall. The public used the hall for lectures, entertainments, church meetings, and political rallies. With the increased enrollment in the student body, it became necessary to have a more adequate assembly room. This need was met by the inclusion ;L an auditorium in Wolf Hall when it was constructed in 1917. In 1929, Mitchell Hall was erected and given to the Univer- sity by an alumnus, H. Rodney Sharp. This, the most modern of the college buildings, provides a perfect assembly hall. t includes complete stage facilities, light- ing control system, and the finest collegiate organ in the country, the gift of Pierre S. DuPont.