{"id":41944,"date":"2026-05-07T10:48:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T14:48:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/?p=41944"},"modified":"2026-05-08T10:43:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T14:43:05","slug":"magazine-fact-or-folklore-furmans-urban-legends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/magazine-fact-or-folklore-furmans-urban-legends\/","title":{"rendered":"Fact or Folklore?: Furman’s Urban Legends"},"content":{"rendered":"

LEGENDS EXIST ON EVERY COLLEGE CAMPUS \u2013\u00a0EXAGGERATED STORIES PASSED FROM SENIOR TO\u00a0FRESHMAN, THE DETAILS MULTIPLYING WITH EACH\u00a0PASSING YEAR UNTIL IT\u2019S UNCLEAR WHERE FACT ENDS\u00a0AND FICTION BEGINS. SOME STORIES SEEM PLAUSIBLE,\u00a0WHILE OTHERS SOUND TOO OUTLANDISH TO BE\u00a0TRUE.\u00a0FROM AIRBORNE SWINE TO PRESIDENTIAL ASHES,\u00a0HERE ARE A FEW TALES FROM FURMAN LORE.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

CAMPUS SECURITY MEETS STUDENT INGENUITY<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Meter maids\u00a0are\u00a0a necessary evil\u00a0on Furman\u2019s campus, issuing tickets hither\u00a0and yon to unlucky parkers. However, a legendary group of students in the\u00a0early \u201980s are said to have gotten revenge in spectacular fashion. This valiant group of young men\u00a0apparently turned\u00a0the tables on a member\u00a0of campus security who terrorized the parking areas around South Housing,\u00a0resulting in a different type of parking violation entirely. When she left her cart\u00a0unattended on the hill between SoHo and Watkins Student Center, the boys\u00a0charged it down the hill, where it was propelled over the stone\u00a0retaining\u00a0wall and\u00a0slowly sank into the lake.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

THE DAY THE PIG FLEW: FURMAN\u2019S\u00a0MOST INFAMOUS FOOD FIGHT<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The following is quite possibly the strangest\u00a0tale of Furman lore \u2014 and the most\u00a0action-packed. Again, in the early \u201980s, a member of\u00a0the men\u2019s soccer team burst into the Dining\u00a0Hall with a mighty roar, wearing nothing but\u00a0a jockstrap and holding a fetal pig that\u00a0he\u2019d\u00a0taken from a jar in the science lab. He chucked\u00a0the pig across the stunned and silent room,\u00a0where it landed in a young lady\u2019s unfortunate\u00a0lunch. This, as the legend goes, launched\u00a0one of the most epic food fights in American\u00a0history.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

IS THAT A VASE \u2026\u00a0OR AN URN?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"\"Another rumor\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0gleefully\u00a0retold to touring\u00a0freshmen\u00a0during\u00a0orientation is the existence\u00a0of President Richard Nixon\u2019s\u00a0cremains at White Oaks. He\u00a0stayed at White Oaks on several occasions and left an ashtray as a\u00a0parting gift \u2013 complete with the\u00a0official seal of the Vice President\u00a0of the United States. Nixon\u2019s\u00a0ashes are rumored to exist in a\u00a0vase in\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0referred to as \u2013\u00a0what\u00a0else? \u2013 the Nixon Bedroom.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

UDDERLY CHAOTIC: THE BELL TOWER\u00a0BOVINE AND THE WANDERING SCHOLAR<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Wayward livestock is the theme of not one, but two\u00a0Furman legends. For reasons known to no one, a cow\u00a0was led to the top of the Bell Tower on the old campus.\u00a0Unbeknownst to the alleged perpetrators, cows\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0care to walk backward due to their large blind spot, nor\u00a0do they walk\u00a0down stairs\u00a0particularly well even going\u00a0forward. The result of this poor planning resulted in\u00a0a crane being brought in to remove the top of the\u00a0Bell Tower to hoist the heifer to safety. And while\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0unlikely this ever happened,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0certain this prank has\u00a0never\u00a0been repeated. The\u00a0second story involving bovine adventure occurred\u00a0in the \u201980s (starting to sense a trend here), when\u00a0a cow\u00a0apparently left\u00a0his home in a field on the other side\u00a0of Buncombe Road and decided to go to college. He\u00a0came in the front gate, sauntered down the mall and\u00a0wound up at the tennis courts before the softball coach\u00a0rescued it and returned it to its owner.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SCHOOL SPIRIT: CHERRYDALE\u2019S\u00a0GHOSTLY RESIDENT\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Rarely does a home dating back hundreds of years\u00a0escape\u00a0being branded as haunted, and the Cherrydale Alumni\u00a0House is no exception. Tales of unsettling noises in empty\u00a0rooms and feelings of uneasiness\u00a0have swirled around campus for\u00a0decades. The ghost in question is\u00a0said to be none other than James\u00a0C. Furman himself, who passed\u00a0away in an upstairs bedroom. From\u00a0his portrait above the mantel, his\u00a0painted eyes\u00a0seem to follow\u00a0visitors\u00a0and give the impression that\u00a0he’s\u00a0staring at them. Loud scraping sounds, as though\u00a0something heavy is being dragged\u00a0across the floor, have been\u00a0reported in the basement of the\u00a0building, along with slamming doors and ceiling fans that\u00a0mysteriously start and stop on their own. There have been\u00a0no sightings of physical apparitions at Cherrydale, but\u00a0restless\u00a0spirits can be unpredictable.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

REVENGE IS BEST SERVED BALD<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"\"Citadel students have a history of sneaking onto the Furman\u00a0campus for late-night mischief, such as defacing the doughboy\u00a0statue, but the story of a thwarted attack on October 25, 1963,\u00a0is an alumni favorite. The night before the Paladins were to\u00a0play the Citadel in Charleston,\u00a0Furman\u00a0administration received word from state\u00a0troopers that a group of cadets was headed\u00a0toward Greenville. Frank Bonner sprang\u00a0into action, gathering a group of\u00a0male\u00a0students to\u00a0man\u00a0the gates. The cadets\u00a0arrived and gave chase and were\u00a0ultimately\u00a0apprehended\u00a0and held in a room in South\u00a0Housing until the Citadel president could\u00a0arrange for their return to Charleston. The best part was at the game the following\u00a0day, when a gust of wind blew the plumed\u00a0cap off a member of the Citadel regiment,\u00a0revealing a faded \u201cF\u201d painted in purple\u00a0shoe polish on top of his shaved head for the entire crowd to see.\u00a0Adding insult to injury, the Paladins won the game, 34-25.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MOONSHINE MAYHEM ON PARIS MOUNTAIN: THE LEGEND OF DADDY DORN<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

In February 2016, Furman News shed some\u00a0light on an 80-year-old story that had bounced around Furman for years.\u00a0No one could say with\u00a0any certainty that the fantastic story was actually\u00a0true.\u00a0That is, until a family member came forward\u00a0and put the myth to rest\u00a0once and for all. The 1933 football season at Furman had been a\u00a0resounding success, with the Purple Hurricane\u00a0(as the team was then called)\u00a0finishing 6-1-2. The team fell flat the\u00a0following year, however, finishing\u00a05-4 and leaving Furman fans\u00a0wondering\u00a0what the heck\u00a0happened. It turns out that four players (three\u00a0of whom were among the best in\u00a0South Carolina)\u00a0failed to\u00a0return for\u00a0the 1934 season because they had\u00a0been expelled from Furman for a\u00a0year after the boys\u2019 daring hijinks on\u00a0Paris Mountain one Saturday night\u00a0in December 1933.\u00a0Drayton \u201cDaddy\u201d Dorn, Roy \u201cHardrock\u201d Smith,\u00a0Trask McCarson and Clarence Scott had taken a\u00a0group of the fairer sex and a load of corn liquor up\u00a0on\u00a0the mountain for\u00a0a good time. Unfortunately,\u00a0two Furman professors were hunting with\u00a0their\u00a0dogs in the same area, recognized\u00a0them\u00a0and told\u00a0the boys they had no choice but to report them\u00a0to President Bennette Geer.\u00a0Knowing expulsion was imminent anyway, Daddy\u00a0and the boys tied the professors to a tree so they\u00a0could continue with their merrymaking into the\u00a0wee\u00a0hours. Geer sent them packing but allowed\u00a0them to return for the 1935 football season,\u00a0when the team went 8-1 and was once again state\u00a0champion. Daddy Dorn would later be inducted\u00a0into the Furman Athletic Hall of Fame, as\u00a0would\u00a0partner-in-crime Trask McCarson.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

GRAND TRADITIONS<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

GOOD LUCK, CHARLIE\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

During exam times, the bust of Charlie Peace\u00a0in the library becomes quite festive, adorned\u00a0with everything from cowboy hats to feather\u00a0boas.\u00a0The thought is that dressing up Charlie\u00a0will\u00a0bring good luck. Students used to bring\u00a0their own items, but now\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0a basket for\u00a0the growing collection of adornments. Although\u00a0library staff initially fretted that Mary Peace\u00a0Sterling might be upset by the tradition, the opposite\u00a0was\u00a0true. She said her fun-loving father would have loved it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A KISS TO REMEMBER, A PLUNGE TO FORGET\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most well-known legend of the Bell Tower is that if you kiss\u00a0someone there,\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0destined to marry them. Should you change\u00a0your mind,\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0to push\u00a0him or her into the lake. There are no\u00a0statistics supporting how\u00a0accurate\u00a0this is,\u00a0seeing as\u00a0many Furman\u00a0students have had romantic moments in the Bell Tower and never saw\u00a0that\u00a0person again.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Screenshot<\/p><\/div>\n

CELEBRATORY SUBMERSIONS\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Countless students have\u00a0had the pleasure of getting\u00a0tossed into the lake by\u00a0well-meaning\u00a0friends on\u00a0their\u00a0birthday, with reports of\u00a0unwilling participants being\u00a0dragged out of the Dining\u00a0Hall for the experience. This\u00a0was a common occurrence\u00a0until people realized that\u00a0exposure to various algae\u00a0and waterfowl excrement\u00a0probably\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0a grand\u00a0birthday gift.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A RITE OF PASSAGE: THE\u00a0SENIOR SPLASH\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most popular Furman\u00a0tradition, of course, is the\u00a0senior splash in the fountain\u00a0on LDOC (last day of classes).\u00a0After four years,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0time to\u00a0grab your floaties for a dip,\u00a0regardless of the temperature.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0important to note that\u00a0underclassmen\u00a0should not\u00a0partake in the festivities, lest\u00a0they\u00a0risk bad luck.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Myths and legends are part of Furman’s cirriculum, but the university itself has plenty of stories to tell. What is true and what is tall tale remains to be seen, but hearing the yarns is fun enough all by itself. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":389,"featured_media":41590,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,3404,3529,1963,42,3526],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-bicentennial","category-features-spring-2026","category-furman-magazine","category-history","category-spring-2026"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/389"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41944"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41944\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42327,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41944\/revisions\/42327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}