Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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University deeply rooted in state's history by Phil Watson Journalism Sophomore Since its founding in 1801, USC has built a rich and storied history whose most aged and cherished remnants can still be seen with one look around the historic Horseshoe area of campus. • In 1801, South Carolina College was found ed. It quickly became known as one of the best aca demic institutions in the United States. South Carolina College was the first state university to be funded by annual appropriations from the state. Before the Civil War, South Carolina College’s campus consisted of the buildings on the Horseshoe and the Longstreet Theatre. The only building that’s now on the Horseshoe that wasn’t part of the original campus is the McKissick Museum. The original faculty of South Carolina College was very well known in the early 19th century aca demic community. Francis Lieber, author of Civil Liberty and Self-Government and editor of Ency clopedia Americana was a professor at the col lege. Famous scientists John and Joseph LeConte and William Eller were also faculty members of South Carolina College. James H. Hammond and Wade Hampton are among South Carolina College’s most distinguished alumni from the antebellum pe riod. South Carolina College went through some ma jor changes during the Civil War. At this time, on ly males were allowed to attend the college. Vir tually all students enlisted in the Confederate Army when the war began. Because of this, the college closed down in 1862. The buildings on the Horse shoe were used as a hospital by the Confederacy. In February of 1865, Sherman’s troops reached Co lumbia and turned the buildings on the Horseshoe into a Union hospital. When Sherman set Columbia ablaze, he ordered his federal troops to save the Horseshoe from de struction. Because of these orders, the buildings that now stand on USC’s Horseshoe are some of the old est in Columbia. When the Civil War ended in 1865, the college reopened. In the latter part of the 19th century, the school went through numerous changes. South Car olina College changed its name six times during this period. State legislators, school administrators, stu dents and faculty couldn’t agree on how the school should be run. In 1906, the college was rechartered for the last time. It was named the University of South Carolina. Before the Civil War and the restructuring that followed it, only elitists attended USC. In 1925, USC President William Davis changed ail that. He decided that education should be for everyone, not just the rich. With this new philosophy, the uni versity began focusing on professional programs and liberal arts programs equally. The Great Depression hit South Carolina short ly after this philosophy was adopted. Many students had to drop out of school. New students didn’t come to USC due to financial strain. The school could n’t afford basic repairs to campus, and many class es had to be cancelled. At this time, the future of USC didn’t look bright. Things picked up in the 1930s when Roosevelt’s New Deal agencies gave USC much-needed grants. Several years later, World War II began. USC let the Navy use its campus as a training base. In return, the Navy helped the school out financially and al lowed USC to continue operating during the war. Once America had recovered from World War II, the philosophy President Davis had proposed many years ago was finally put into action. Since the 1950s, USC’s campus has greatly expanded and improved to educate the people of South Carolina. The campus has grown exponentially since 1801, and many more academic programs have been added. Aside from the Columbia campus, there are now seven other USC campuses throughout South Carolina. The University of South Carolina is the kind of place that blends the old with the new. This cam pus is filled with memories from the past and an ticipation for the future. Photo By Sean Rayford The McKissick Museum is the only building on the Horseshoe not a part of the original campus. Hie Sisters of Kappa Delta Welcome you to fSC _www.kappadeltausc.org_