Fact or Folklore?: Furman’s Urban Legends

LEGENDS EXIST ON EVERY COLLEGE CAMPUS – EXAGGERATED STORIES PASSED FROM SENIOR TO FRESHMAN, THE DETAILS MULTIPLYING WITH EACH PASSING YEAR UNTIL IT’S UNCLEAR WHERE FACT ENDS AND FICTION BEGINS. SOME STORIES SEEM PLAUSIBLE, WHILE OTHERS SOUND TOO OUTLANDISH TO BE TRUE. FROM AIRBORNE SWINE TO PRESIDENTIAL ASHES, HERE ARE A FEW TALES FROM FURMAN LORE. 

CAMPUS SECURITY MEETS STUDENT INGENUITY 

Meter maids are a necessary evil on Furman’s campus, issuing tickets hither and yon to unlucky parkers. However, a legendary group of students in the early ’80s are said to have gotten revenge in spectacular fashion. This valiant group of young men apparently turned the tables on a member of campus security who terrorized the parking areas around South Housing, resulting in a different type of parking violation entirely. When she left her cart unattended on the hill between SoHo and Watkins Student Center, the boys charged it down the hill, where it was propelled over the stone retaining wall and slowly sank into the lake. 

THE DAY THE PIG FLEW: FURMAN’S MOST INFAMOUS FOOD FIGHT 

The following is quite possibly the strangest tale of Furman lore — and the most action-packed. Again, in the early ’80s, a member of the men’s soccer team burst into the Dining Hall with a mighty roar, wearing nothing but a jockstrap and holding a fetal pig that he’d taken from a jar in the science lab. He chucked the pig across the stunned and silent room, where it landed in a young lady’s unfortunate lunch. This, as the legend goes, launched one of the most epic food fights in American history. 

IS THAT A VASE … OR AN URN? 

Another rumor that’s gleefully retold to touring freshmen during orientation is the existence of President Richard Nixon’s cremains at White Oaks. He stayed at White Oaks on several occasions and left an ashtray as a parting gift – complete with the official seal of the Vice President of the United States. Nixon’s ashes are rumored to exist in a vase in what’s referred to as – what else? – the Nixon Bedroom. 

UDDERLY CHAOTIC: THE BELL TOWER BOVINE AND THE WANDERING SCHOLAR 

Wayward livestock is the theme of not one, but two Furman legends. For reasons known to no one, a cow was led to the top of the Bell Tower on the old campus. Unbeknownst to the alleged perpetrators, cows don’t care to walk backward due to their large blind spot, nor do they walk down stairs particularly well even going forward. The result of this poor planning resulted in a crane being brought in to remove the top of the Bell Tower to hoist the heifer to safety. And while it’s unlikely this ever happened, it’s certain this prank has never been repeated. The second story involving bovine adventure occurred in the ’80s (starting to sense a trend here), when a cow apparently left his home in a field on the other side of Buncombe Road and decided to go to college. He came in the front gate, sauntered down the mall and wound up at the tennis courts before the softball coach rescued it and returned it to its owner. 

SCHOOL SPIRIT: CHERRYDALE’S GHOSTLY RESIDENT  

Rarely does a home dating back hundreds of years escape being branded as haunted, and the Cherrydale Alumni House is no exception. Tales of unsettling noises in empty rooms and feelings of uneasiness have swirled around campus for decades. The ghost in question is said to be none other than James C. Furman himself, who passed away in an upstairs bedroom. From his portrait above the mantel, his painted eyes seem to follow visitors and give the impression that he’s staring at them. Loud scraping sounds, as though something heavy is being dragged across the floor, have been reported in the basement of the building, along with slamming doors and ceiling fans that mysteriously start and stop on their own. There have been no sightings of physical apparitions at Cherrydale, but restless spirits can be unpredictable. 

REVENGE IS BEST SERVED BALD 

Citadel students have a history of sneaking onto the Furman campus for late-night mischief, such as defacing the doughboy statue, but the story of a thwarted attack on October 25, 1963, is an alumni favorite. The night before the Paladins were to play the Citadel in Charleston, Furman administration received word from state troopers that a group of cadets was headed toward Greenville. Frank Bonner sprang into action, gathering a group of male students to man the gates. The cadets arrived and gave chase and were ultimately apprehended and held in a room in South Housing until the Citadel president could arrange for their return to Charleston. The best part was at the game the following day, when a gust of wind blew the plumed cap off a member of the Citadel regiment, revealing a faded “F” painted in purple shoe polish on top of his shaved head for the entire crowd to see. Adding insult to injury, the Paladins won the game, 34-25. 

MOONSHINE MAYHEM ON PARIS MOUNTAIN: THE LEGEND OF DADDY DORN 

In February 2016, Furman News shed some light on an 80-year-old story that had bounced around Furman for years. No one could say with any certainty that the fantastic story was actually true. That is, until a family member came forward and put the myth to rest once and for all. The 1933 football season at Furman had been a resounding success, with the Purple Hurricane (as the team was then called) finishing 6-1-2. The team fell flat the following year, however, finishing 5-4 and leaving Furman fans wondering what the heck happened. It turns out that four players (three of whom were among the best in South Carolina) failed to return for the 1934 season because they had been expelled from Furman for a year after the boys’ daring hijinks on Paris Mountain one Saturday night in December 1933. Drayton “Daddy” Dorn, Roy “Hardrock” Smith, Trask McCarson and Clarence Scott had taken a group of the fairer sex and a load of corn liquor up on the mountain for a good time. Unfortunately, two Furman professors were hunting with their dogs in the same area, recognized them and told the boys they had no choice but to report them to President Bennette Geer. Knowing expulsion was imminent anyway, Daddy and the boys tied the professors to a tree so they could continue with their merrymaking into the wee hours. Geer sent them packing but allowed them to return for the 1935 football season, when the team went 8-1 and was once again state champion. Daddy Dorn would later be inducted into the Furman Athletic Hall of Fame, as would partner-in-crime Trask McCarson. 

GRAND TRADITIONS 

GOOD LUCK, CHARLIE 

During exam times, the bust of Charlie Peace in the library becomes quite festive, adorned with everything from cowboy hats to feather boas. The thought is that dressing up Charlie will bring good luck. Students used to bring their own items, but now there’s a basket for the growing collection of adornments. Although library staff initially fretted that Mary Peace Sterling might be upset by the tradition, the opposite was true. She said her fun-loving father would have loved it. 

A KISS TO REMEMBER, A PLUNGE TO FORGET 

The most well-known legend of the Bell Tower is that if you kiss someone there, you’re destined to marry them. Should you change your mind, you’re to push him or her into the lake. There are no statistics supporting how accurate this is, seeing as many Furman students have had romantic moments in the Bell Tower and never saw that person again. 

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CELEBRATORY SUBMERSIONS 

Countless students have had the pleasure of getting tossed into the lake by well-meaning friends on their birthday, with reports of unwilling participants being dragged out of the Dining Hall for the experience. This was a common occurrence until people realized that exposure to various algae and waterfowl excrement probably wasn’t a grand birthday gift. 

A RITE OF PASSAGE: THE SENIOR SPLASH  

The most popular Furman tradition, of course, is the senior splash in the fountain on LDOC (last day of classes). After four years, it’s time to grab your floaties for a dip, regardless of the temperature. It’s important to note that underclassmen should not partake in the festivities, lest they risk bad luck.