Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Oct. 12, 1993, edition 1 / Page 20
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12 Tuesday, October 12,1993 .jilt :’v' w' If # DTH FILE PHOTO Anti-apartheid supporters built a shanty in Polk Place in 1986 to protest UNC's investments in South Africa. Polk Place Site of New Design, Student Protests BY DENISE WALKER STAFF WRITER Like two regal giants standing guard over the University, South Building and Wilson Library tower quietly at the north and south ends of Polk Place. The two buildings make up a chapter of UNC’s history, marked by growth spurred on by Reconstruction-era philosophy that built the New South. Fraa Corralling Nonet To Hooting the Chancellor The cornerstone of the first South Build ing was laid in April 1798. The original plan for the building that now houses the chancellor’s office was that itwouldbe 120 feet in length, 56 feet wide and three stories high. Due to a shortage of funds, South Build ing stood at only 1 1/2 stories, half its intended height. South Building remained at this height until 1814 when a renewed, more modem plan of construction, along with a generous donation from Alumnus John Robert Donnell, allowed for its completion. <£ 9 oi} you IC hoi<* oS 31 That’s how many visits you’ll have to make to our restaurant to try out all of our sandwiches. Great homemade burgers and fries, lots of veggie sandwiches to choose from, and soups we make from scratch. And, we have ail ABC permits. Bud&EbAfi Bar andGrill \ j)^ Weaver Dairy Road Timberlyne Shopping Center Chapel Hill • 942-6624 During its construction, South Building was home to student-constructed huts which served as a type of shelter, except on rainy days when the board roof of South Building would allow the rain to pass through. Fifty years later, as the CivilWarplagued the country, South Building was home not to students, but to Union soldiers. It also was reported that cattle and horses were corralled in South Building during the war. At the time of the federal occupation of the University, classes were canceled, and ultimately, in 1871, the University closed due to the loss of its endowment and low enrollment, all results of the war. In 1874, a committee was sent to exam ine the postwar conditions ofUNC’s build ings. It was found that South Building needed new doors, windows, plastering and a roof. All ofthese necessary repairs were made at a total of SBOO. A Stately Landscape Boldly facing South Building from the south is Wilson Library. But between the buildings is a grassy knoll joining South Building and Wilson Library. Once called the South Quadrangle, it was named Polk Place by the Board of Trustees in honor of President James K. Polk. Polk Place originally was designed to be a grand landscaping development to complement the grandeur of South Build Save $2.00 On Your Next Haircut ( Reg. $8.00) Simply bring this coupon to Supercuts. As usual, no appointments are necessary. But come in soon, this offer ends 11/12/93 CHAPEL HILL DURHAM 141 Rams Plaza 3117 Shannon Rd. 967-0226 (Regency Plaza) 489-7674 Expires 11/12/93 Good at participating shops. Not valid with any other offer. One coupon per customer. How Do You Want Your Hair Cut? BICCNIIHIIIMI ing. Today it plays host to UNC students who want to relax between classes. But it also has seen countless protests and marches. From a march protesting U.S. involvement in Cambodia in 1970 to the 1993RapeFreeZonepromotingaware ness about sexual assault, the area is known as a place to voice opinion and opposition to the establishment. The activities in Polk Place often seem to antagonize the old stately buildings around it. MeainriHle, Aero** the Qwri Erected in 1929, Wilson Library allowed for the expansion of all special collection sections. Forexample, theN.C. Collection and the Rare Books Collection now are housed in Wilson Library. The library is named in honor of Louis Round Wilson, an 1899 alumnus of UNC. It was in fact, the first building at UNC to be named in honor of a person while he was still living. Wilson, who was a librarian for 58 years, worked at both UNC and the University of Chicago. He was responsible for the found ing of the School of Library Science, Wil son Library, the Alumni Association and the UNC Press. Architect A.C. Nash designed Wilson. Archibald Henderson wrote that “the build ing was placed in a dominating position, facing north and forming the south side of the South Quadrangle.” Campus Abounds in Legends, Myths About UNC’s History BY STEVE ROBBLEE ASSISTANT UNIVERSITY EDITOR If history is a “distillation of rumor” as Thomas Carlyle said in 1837 when as sessing the French Revolution—then the residue in history’s filter is the substance from which myths and legends are created. During the past 200 years, UNC not only has provided a rich history, but it also has produced many legends about its founders, its tradition and students’ lives. William R. Dnie and the *OM Poplar* Were it not for the Davie Poplar, lo cated near Old East on McCorkle Place, the University of North Carolina at Hillsborough might be celebrating its 200th anniversary today. Or, at least, that’s how the story goes. It is the Davie Poplar or the “Old Poplar” as it was referred to even in the 19th century—that captured the imagina tion ofWilliam R. Davie and other Univer sity trustees searching for a suitable place in the center ofthe state to build the nation’s first state-supported institution. According to legend, one picnic under the thick foliage ofthe large poplar tree was all it tookto convince the trustees that a site near the New Hope Chapel was the perfect place to put a school. But Davie probably wasn’t even involved with the selection process. “That could be the premiere myth (at the University),” William Snider, UNC historian and author of “Light on the Hill,” admitted in an interview. “There really is no evidence that (Davie) was even in that selection group.” The University’s first buildings Old East, Old West and Person Hall were erected around the Davie Poplar, which was considered the center of campus be fore construction started on Polk Place in the 19205. Throughout its 200-year history as a UNC landmark, the Davie Poplar has sur vived a couple of near-death experiences that only have increased its legendary stat ure. The tree was struck by lightning on Aug. 7,1873, while Kemp Battle served as UNC president. And in August 1902, a strong northeast wind blew down branches from the Old Poplar. The once-noble tree has lost some of its majesty since 1902. The poplar has been hollowed, and cement has been poured in its center to keep the tree from being up rooted. Happy 200th Birthday UNC! from: Cafe Vietnamese and Chinese Cuisine Open Monday - Saturday • 11 am-8 pm 118 E. FRANKLIN • 929-0168 w DOWNTOWN CHAPEL HILL • NEXT TO TACO BELL (Eljpitaiiy u>ar Hpfl The legend of Peter Dromgoole Peter Dromgoole thought he had found his one true love. A young Chapel Hill girl named Fanny had caught Dromgoole’s eye in spring 1833, and, by all accounts, the two quickly fell in love. Dromgoole and Fanny often would head off to Gimghoul Castle, on the western edge of campus, to spend the afternoon together. But Dromgoole was not the only Uni versity student who had an interest in the fair Fanny, according to legend. When Dromgoole saw another UNC student spying on the two lovers one day outside the castle, he was outraged. The proud and possessive Dromgoole chal lenged the would-be suitor to a duel for Fanny’s love. The night of the duel was such that Dromgoole’s superiormarksmanship skills were nullified by a stiff rain and driving wind. Yet Dromgoole insisted that the duel not be postponed. At about midnight two shots rang out in the Chapel Hill night. Dromgoole lay dead near the old castle, and the unknown dueler buried him in a shallow grave where he lay. Afewweeks after the duel, Dromgoole’s uncle came down from Virginia and his nephew was nowhere to be found. University students claimed Dromgoole had left town, but no stagecoach company could provide records showing a passenger by that name leaving Chapel Hill. Fanny was inconsolable after Dromgoole’s disappearance. She often would weep on the rocks outside Gimghoul Castle where she and Peter had spent much of their time. Even today, those rocks contain an in explicable reddish hue, and the wind that whistles through the trees late at night sounds strangely like the grief of a young woman in mourning. A 'Silent* Guardian If Silent Sam, the statue facing Franklin Street on McCorkle Place, knows how the legend about him got started, he’s sure not telling anybody. According to legend, Sam is constantly on the watch for a virgin passing by among the hundreds of people who walk past his guard every day. Should Silent Sam spot a virgin, he will &e the rifle that stands on his shoulder. Please See LEGENDS, Page 13
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