{"id":41948,"date":"2026-05-07T11:10:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T15:10:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/?p=41948"},"modified":"2026-05-08T10:45:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T14:45:41","slug":"magazine-on-the-hunt-for-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/magazine-on-the-hunt-for-history\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Hunt for History"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we celebrate Furman\u2019s 200th birthday throughout\u00a0the year,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0important that the physical history of\u00a0our university be recognized, especially a history that\u00a0might be tucked away or simply off the beaten path.\u00a0We invite you to enjoy a scavenger hunt that brings a\u00a0bit of that history to light and gives us all a chance to\u00a0explore one of the most beautiful college campuses in\u00a0the country.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

BRICKS ON THE GROUND<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Bricks adorn every college campus, but few have so many with so\u00a0much history.\u00a0The next time you walk to the Bell Tower or take\u00a0a visit to the Old College two-room schoolhouse or visit Clark\u00a0Murphy and the Rose Garden, look down.\u00a0Most, if not all, of\u00a0those bricks came from the old campus in downtown Greenville,\u00a0including some from the original Bell Tower. They pave the path\u00a0where\u00a0we have been, and where we are going.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Stained glass from the original campus. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.<\/p><\/div>\n

STORIED STAINED GLASS<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

There was talk of sending history hunters to just one specific\u00a0stained glass on the list of 15. But since they are\u00a0spread\u00a0across campus, we will give credit\u00a0for\u00a0any one of them.\u00a0The story goes that during the move\u00a0to campus in the early 1950s,\u00a0stained glass honoring different\u00a0majors or significant figures\u00a0in Furman\u2019s history were\u00a0removed,\u00a0crated\u00a0and sent\u00a0to the new campus. Over\u00a0time, those crates were\u00a0misplaced and forgotten.\u00a0Until 2003, however,\u00a0when they turned up\u00a0during renovations to the\u00a0Duke Library. Today, they\u00a0hang in different spaces on\u00a0campus. See if this picture helps\u00a0you\u00a0find\u00a0one of them. (HINT: Most are in the library,\u00a0so\u00a0see if you can find one not\u00a0in that building.)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SING OUT LOUD<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Like a national anthem, a college\u2019s alma mater\u00a0exudes challenge, triumph,\u00a0exaltation\u00a0and spirit.\u00a0Rather than simply hearing the words, you can\u00a0see the original manuscript of the alma mater in\u00a0the James B. Duke Library\u2019s Special Collections.\u00a0Learn when it was written and who wrote it while\u00a0marking this next stop off your list.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SEAL OF APPROVAL<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

At the main entrance to the Clark Murphy Housing Complex,\u00a0the original women\u2019s residence on campus, look above the\u00a0arches\u00a0and you will see a blue and gold seal.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0the seal of\u00a0Greenville Woman\u2019s College and reads \u201cNon Sine\u00a0Pulvere\u201d\u00a0meaning \u201cnot without dust\u201d or \u201cnot without struggle.\u201d\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0come\u00a0to\u00a0represent\u00a0a different time at Furman and the growth and\u00a0change that continues at the university.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

PUT A RING ON IT<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Sure, we sent you to the Bell Tower bricks already but\u00a0bring things full circle and\u00a0go see\u00a0the Bell Tower itself.\u00a0Though not the original structure from the downtown\u00a0Greenville campus, this Bell Tower was built almost\u00a0identical to the first. Try to visit when it rings out a\u00a0chime\u00a0or a song.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

The gates of the Greenville Women\u2019s College. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.<\/p><\/div>\n

YOU SHALL PASS<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Speaking of the Greenville Woman\u2019s College, Furman\u00a0also moved the gates of that campus to Furman in\u00a0recognition of the times when the school was split by\u00a0gender. That all ended in 1961, but you can still get a\u00a0glimpse of the gates that young men and women\u00a0might have had to sneak through during a different\u00a0time in\u00a0history.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ONCE UPON A TIME<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Back at the library, you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have to go far to find chandeliers\u00a0hanging within its walls.\u00a0Those ornate light fixtures are actually\u00a0from the 18th century and are your next stop on this historic hunt.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Near the Bell Tower, the original two-room schoolhouse\u00a0known as Old College sits near Furman Lake. It was built\u00a0in 1851 and was used by James C. Furman and Charles\u00a0H. Hudson. It was marked for preservation in 1910 and\u00a0moved to campus in 1958.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

FURMAN\u2019S CHAMBER POT<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

That\u2019s\u00a0not a\u00a0typo\u00a0and you\u00a0probably\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0get a glimpse of it, but the Cherrydale house,\u00a0home to the Furman alumni office, has the founder\u2019s chamber pot on the second floor.\u00a0And if you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know what a chamber pot is, ask someone. The relic is a favorite among\u00a0history students who tour the space, but\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0just have to take our word for it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

A step from the building in Winnsboro, South Carolina. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.<\/p><\/div>\n

A STEP IN TIME<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s\u00a0no secret that Winnsboro, South Carolina, was once home to\u00a0an early iteration of Furman\u2019s campus. And we have proof of that\u00a0outside the admissions office in a step from one of that campus\u2019s\u00a0old buildings. Find it, sit on it, take a\u00a0picture\u00a0and come by the\u00a0information desk at the Hill Atrium in the Trone Student Center\u00a0from 1-4 p.m. throughout\u00a0the month of May\u00a0to get a certificate\u00a0and brick from the original Blackwell Hall, and our congratulations\u00a0for completing this Furman History Scavenger Hunt.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Take a stroll through Furman University’s history by exploring campus and finding hidden gems of historic significance. And when you finish, find your way to Trone Student Center for a special prize.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":389,"featured_media":41568,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,3,1963,42,3526,27,3531],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-admission","category-alumni","category-furman-magazine","category-history","category-spring-2026","category-student-life","category-comeback-spring-2026"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41948","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=41948"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42332,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41948\/revisions\/42332"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}