Wilmington College - Wilmingtonian Yearbook (Wilmington, OH)

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in the newly erected Bailey Hall where it remained for a time. President Jay moved the office to the room now occupied by the business office where it remained until he moved it to its present location. The registrar’s of- fice, with Marguerite Mitchell as registrar, was for many years in part of the office now occupied by the business office. The present chapel room in College Hall was a study room equipped with conventional school desks used by the College preparatory depart- ment and for chapel. President Jay had the seats removed and the opera chairs installed. It was the college chapel until it was partitioned to take care of the recent influx of students. The pictures above the win- dows and in the front of the room are the work and gift of Prof. Harri- son Halle of the Art Department. This room is the one place on the campus that is most revered by alumni and old students, since it was the center of college activities for over sixty years. Twin Ash Hall When Wilmington College was founded, the lot now occupied by Twin Ash Hall, Bailey Hall, and South Hall was known as “Madden’s thicket,” where grew dogwood, sumachs, red bud, and saplings of vari- ous kinds. The botany classes went there to gather wild tlowers, where grew May apple, Sweet Williams, and Spring Beauties. The only trees remaining are a few locust trees near Fife Avenue. Whittier Place, earlier known as Franklin Street, had not been laid out. Elwood Mad- den erected Twin Ash Hall in 1871-72 as a private enterprise and lived in it the first year while it was being finished. President Estes and his family moved into the newly completed building in 18738, as did several girls who had their own club system of boarding. The first matron in charge of the girls’ dormitory was Kizzie But- ler, who continued her service there for eight years. The Clinton County Building and Loan Association had possession of Twin Ash Hall from 1873-1875 at which time Dayton Townsend, of Martinsville, Ohio, pur- chased it and was its owner for many years. It was owned for a time by Thomas Davis, of Leesburg, who later sold it to Fred and Bessie Bal- lard. It was sold by them to the college in 1904 for $4000. It was during President Hodgin’s administration in the summer of 1914 that the cement veranda was added, and it served a useful purpose for the congregation of students when Twin Ash was a student center. The north end of the present recreation room was the original dining room and to the south was the kitchen. Later, in 1919, the present mat- ron’s quarters were added with a new kitchen adjoining it. The o.i kitchen was added to the dining space, forming the present recreation room. The third story was added to Twin Ash in the summer of 1920; the entire building was redecorated and refurnished. This was made pos- sible through the generosity of Mary Cadwallader Adams. Mrs. Adams was the daughter of Phoebe Cadwallader, who was one of the early matrons of Twin Ash. Mrs. Adams is one of the largest donors to Wil- mington College, having given to the college her entire estate of over $50,000. There is no building named for her and no bronze tablet to pre- serve her memory. Twin Ash could: very appropriately be named the Mary Adams Hall for Girls. —9R i

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sometimes used aS a gymnasium for basketball games. This large room was partitioned in 1920 during the administration of J. Edwin Jay for the use of Home Economics and Art Departments. The southwest room now occupied by the Commercial Department, was once a gymnasium for physical education, later used as a shop, and later as a practice room for the Music Department. The southeast room of the Commercial Depart- ment was once the Dorian room, being fitted with a roster and stage for literary activity and debate. The third floor rooms were used as a dorm- itory for students and faculty in the earlier days, before the erection of. Twin Ash and South Halls. The heat for the College Hall was supplied by stoves, until furnaces were installed in 1898. The science laboratories were once located on the second floor of College Hall. The chemistry laboratory was in the present language room; the stock room was in the location of the present ladies’ rest room; Room 25 was the location of the science lecture room in which were physics and biology tables and desks. Biology tables were once built around the north and west walls of this room. The College Library was located in a large room directly above the old chapel. When the chemistry laboratory was moved to Bailey Hall, the present language room was made into a stock room for the growing library. When the library building was erected in 1941, and put in use, the old library room was partitioned into the present class rooms. Room 28 was the Dorian Room during an early period and was later Bertha Peelle Arthur’s language room for many years, the Dorian Room being moved to the third floor. Room 26 was one large room for his- tory and Bible. President Brown’s office, in 1906, was the small room at the east end of the hall on the second floor of College Hall, now occupied by the pub- licity office. This was the only office on the campus at that time. Each professor had a given room for his or her use, both as an office and classroom. On the first floor, the room now the Registrar’s office, was the Latin room of Teacher Ellen Wright, later becoming Professor Galliett’s French room, and still later Dr. Hall’s history room. Teacher Ellen’s Latin room was once the scene of a tragic accident. During the early days, the long smooth bannisters on the stairways lead- ing to the second floors tempted the students to slide down them. In 1899, Ethel Sparks, sliding down the bannister of the east stairway with her arms full of books, fell off the rail and struck her head on the floor below. She was conscious for a time and was taken to Teacher Ellen’s Latin room, where she died the same afternoon from concussion of the brain. This was one of the saddest occasions in the history of the college. Room 14, now occupied by Dr. Hall, was the mathematics room with all the available wall space covered with blackboard. The room now occupied by the business office was the office and class room of President Unthank before 1903. The room now occupied by President Marble as his office was the College Parlor, and was used for receptions and other social activities. It was later used by the Kiu Kiun Kia, a girls’ debating society, and seats were built all around the wall for their use. During President Brown’s administration, the president’s of- fice was moved from the second floor of College Hall to the Physics room

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South Hall South Hall was the third structure erected on the campus during the administration of Benjamin Trueblood. It was built in 1876 for the sum of $5000 raised by popular subscription. In each room was a coal grate for heating, as is now evidenced by many chimneys covered by tin on the present roof. The students had separate coal bins in the back yard. Bae building had a kitchen and dining room at the east side on the first oor. Richard Green was the first boy to engage a room there. Hannah Farquhar was the first matron of South Hall. To the rear of South Hall was a barn in which day students, and stu- dents who drove home over week ends, kept their horses and buggies. Misplaced horses and buggies about the campus and in class rooms were a common occurrence in those days. Once a student, who is now a pro- fessor of chemistry in an eastern college, returned to his room in South Hall to find a horse leisurely eating hay from a manger, and upon in- vestigation found his books, bed, and table down in the horse’s stall. The original South Hall had no veranda, the present one being erected in 1929 during President Skinner’s administration. South Hall is a famous old place filled with pleasant memories. The day students took the liberty of using this building for a resting place be- tween classes. When any misdemeanor was committed about the college, the authorities usually went there first for investigation. Housemother Barry lived there for many years and endeared herself to the boys for whom she had the deepest affection. Were she now living, she could tell the students many interesting happenings. Bailey Hall This substantial reinforced concrete structure was erected in 1908-09. It was made possible by Mr. and Mrs. A. I. Bailey, who gave $15,000 for the erection of a building with the stipulation that $30,000 more be raised and added to the endowment for its maintenance. The architect and builder was L. L. Compton, a local man who erected it for $13,000. Dr. Marion Hollingsworth, who was professor of chemistry and physics 1908- 14, designed and assembled the chemistry laboratory desks in this building. The Home Economics Department was installed in the basement rooms of Bailey Hall during President Hodgins’ administration in 1913- 14. The east basement room was the foods laboratory and the north basement rooms were for dining and serving rooms. The Gymnasium-Auditorium This structure has a very interesting history. In 1892, the Society of Friends of Center, Miami, and Fairfield Quarterly Meetings withdrew from Indiana Yearly Meeting and formed Wilmington Yearly Meeting. One large tent and two or three others were spread on the south part of the campus and served the Yearly Meeting sessions for the first few years. During one of the sessions, a storm came up and rain poured through the leaking tent. While the rain was pouring, the congrega- tion sang “There Shall be Showers of Blessings” and took up a collec- e908