Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Oct. 22, 1992, edition 1 / Page 20
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DTH Omnibus Page 13 Thursday October 22, 1992 DTH Omnibus Page 12 Thursday October 22, 1992 -..... , . ' ' , XJo J I It doesn't matter if they're upforthe flame or in town forthewhoe weekend, sooner or later you'll have to do it lead your folks on the "tour of campus." And while you could probably tell them about the Pit, (where you sat for hours reading the DTH as your English class proceeded without you) and possibly even Davis Library (where you drowsily drooled on your notebook when you were supposed to be studying), you're bound to have some gaps in the monologue. Have no fear. The official Omnibus guide to UNC and the surrounding area will allow you to entertain and amaze your parents with little-known facts about the grounds you growl at every morning. It will also help steer the conversation away from academic topics, like how you performed on your mid-terms. If you're feeling adventurous, walk backwards and point to the monuments as you rattle off historical anecdotes, In true campus-guide style. f3ut watch out for the squirrels. They're everywhere. 0 Start out near Franklin Street in McCorkle Place with Silent Sam, the rifle-bearing statue erected to honor North Carolinians slain in the Civil War. Why is Sam Silent? Because he only fires his rifle when a virgin passes nearby him. (You may or may not want to recount this tale, depending on how close you get to the monument.) trrtF,."?Li-jr-.j.''W' v .... - . .s.-i if.-- f"T" wa.U' "" ""I Head to South Building, which houses offices for all of the University's bigwigadministrators. Stand on itssteps and peer across Polk Place towards the domed roof of Wilson Library. Both Wilson and the Bell Tower were built in the 1920s and '30s. And yes, the Bell Tower really was meant to be a dunce cap for Wilson Library. John Motley Morehead wanted to construct a beil tower on the top of South Buildingand tochange the name to Morehead Building. Librarian Louis Wilson strongly disapproved of this site and opposed Morehead on every other site he proposed. While Wilson was on vacation, Morehead had the land behind Wilson library cleared and began building the tower. On Thanksgiving Day, 1931, much to Wilson's chagrin, the tower was dedicated. The Morehead family was served Thanksgiving Dinner on the lawn while the bells played "How Tedious and Tasteless the Hours." Standing on the steps of South Building you can see the cone of the tower sitting on top of Wilson's roof. If you're interested in seeing more edifices touched by famous University leaders, skip on over to the Horace Williams House at 610 E. Rosemary St. The quaint structure was once inhabited by eccentric philosophy professor Horace Williams, who donated it to the University upon his death. North Carolina native Thomas Wolfe immortalized Williams with a character named Virgil Weldon in his most renowned novel "Look Homeward Angel." Wolfe was only one of Williams' many loyal students. The Chapel Hill Preservation Society now leases the house from the Univer sity for $1 a year. The house is open on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., with an exhibit of modern art by Patricia Kordas. Enjoy the fall colors as you stroll down tree-lined r A . D A c : I !! VdlllCIUIl IVCllUC d3l AJyilUIII dllU JWdlll I14U3, fHt erected in the 1910's. Rvnnm. where sfudenrs often per . , , o to wait hours to pay the University their parents' hard- earned money, first served as the gym with an indoor pool (no bathing suits required). Swain, now home to the Radio, Television and Motion Pictures department, was known to tum-of-the-century Tar Heels as "Swine Hall," the cafeteria. Also built in this period was Saunders Hall, named for alumnus . William, Lawrence Saunders, a suspected leader' ofthe Klu Kfux Kla'n.: Saunders hpw houses the religious studies department., ZJ C3 0. Don't forget the Old Well. If you haven't yet taken a drink from the historic fountain to ensure a 4.0 GPA this semester, you're too late. The well's mystical waters only improve academic performance if sipped on the first day of classes. Take a breather by Davie Poplar, the huge tree in McCorkle that towers over the concrete bench beneath it. A popular late-night stop for romantic couples and revelers making their way home from Franklin Street, the tree sprung from the ground when William Richardson Davie, "Father of the University," stuck a twig in the ground and declared this the site ofthe first state university. Davie Poplar Jr. was planted nearby when its "dad" was struck by lightning. Davie Poplar is actually a tulip tree. 3 s An :!.' ..'JIM!. v '' r ill I? ' ' J I rt ...jh, r; - p- U, .4 -' ra J4 i ! I. tllii: ir v 1 if - jt : - i. ;' 1 Davis Library, lookin' better than Never did 53Vv tlhl ' tf" J'i H -"-l i U 1 1 I J 1 I I ! ?L ttH ' ' - i ' i i - i- I J 'While the weather's still nice you can motor on down to University Lake l 1 1 : f 1 - ' : i (orbikeover,fortheecologically-minded)andrentapaddleboatorjustchatand ;l Hl ;! It -Jp&M ' fr f '- '.: i . M' Hi P enjoy the view. The University built the lake in the 1930's to serves as the main HjU- iJrJ ''ZZV'ttl 'C,. reservoir for Chapel Hill. 4 ' 1 v I - ' ' The lake water is now owned by the Orange Water and Sewer Authority, 'J- ' mJl, - ' I 1 , ' r ' which supplies all of Orange County. But the University still owns the surround- r .- , - . -, - " " ' v " M -! - rti:; ing property and you might catch the UNC crew team at practice. , ; , - We're just glad this picture isn't in color V iii J ' ? 'i J! If you're a sucker for a good mystery, stroll down Gimghoul , ri'S f" I ; ' fJ Road (across Monogram Road from Paul Greene Theatre) until r""Jt f W.!Wfa I ' T you come to the mysterious Hippol Castle known to most as .... ."' .- n-jw . j I ' i . , f Gimghoul Castle. f Jf & $ -J I t IA1 Around the turn of the century, a group of students formed a mrt f - . 2 ' r I , I1J secret society the Order of the Gimghoul modeled after l J? -" tM 4. T ! f i II , ' Vii those at Ivy League schools (like the one George Bush joined at " 'j li f j. I f- . n Yale).TheyoccupiedahouseonRosemaryStreetablockbehind -WfT . V m jTT2 f I j- ' 1 where the Chapel Hill Public Library is now. " w I If I 11, ' , I , - A rich alumnus purchased about 20 acres of land for the Gimghouls in the jr Jtflt3 f I v jjLJhJk ' ' -J ' 1920's and stone masons from Valdese, N.C., constructed the spooky-looking '..f f I mjt ' ''',,' castle. SC "J ' If you head around back there's a stone bench that overlooks Civil War ' i ;- earthworks, beautiful turning trees, and on a clear day you can see all the way to , i - It ' ft Durham. - I i 11 '' 1 ,JJ dm you're a sucker for a good mystery, stroll down Gimghoul r.oaa across Monogram Koaa rrom raul ureene 1 heatrej until you come to the mysterious Hippol Castle known to most as Gimghoul Castle. Around the turn of the century, a group of students formed a secret society the Order of the Gimghoul modeled after those at Ivy League schools (like the one George Bush joined at Yale). They occupied a house on Rosemary Street a block behind where the Chapel Hill Public Library is now. A rich alumnus purchased about 20 acres of land for the Gimghouls in the 1920's and stone masons from Valdese, N.C., constructed the spooky-looking castle. If you head around back there's a stone bench that overlooks Civil War earthworks, beautiful turning trees, and on a clear day you can see all the way to Durham. But don't climb over the stone wall that surrounds the Ghimgoul grounds. Although, you can't see them, the castle's inhabitants can evidently see you. They've been known to alert the police of trespassers. (This could lead you to the police station, a part of Chapel Hill you don't want to see.) Legend holds that a young society member named Drumghoul, stricken with unrequited love, died on the spot where the castle now stands and that his blood is still visible on the rocks surrounding it. No one has been on the grounds since the castle's foundation, though R.E.M. was once heard emanating from within its walls. A secret society, Ghimgouls keep their membership undisclosed. So it follows that just about any of your friends could be one ... 0 The Bell Tower a huge Freudian slip What better place to talk about trees ttuw the arborettm t it t.-vj . . f. Hi. r,' 1m H vvj PJPWW- waqa mimm-i. ' m 4 ii JUf I .. ilk .... . J- 1 .trri.i ' -- - Morehead PlaiMtarlim: the grade-school field trip capital of the world ' Campus Y? Y not? If not for the renovations, you could show your folks the oldest state university building in the nation, Old East. The cornerstone was laid in 1293. In the University's early years, Old East was the center of residential and instructional life. The problem with this was that the building was extremely overcrowded, with 56 students packed into 1 4 one-window rooms. To escape, students erected huts in the forest and inside the shell of the unfinished South Building. In 1800, tuition was $10 and Old East was the only building on campus. In the 1 850's, students were required to attend chapel services twice a day. In class, students passed cheat sheets through holes sawed in the floors. And this was before A's, B's and C's. Students received grades of very good, respectable, tolerable and bad. Then came the Civil War. During the war, UNC's president David Swain's daughter, Eleanor, fell in love and married a general in the Union Army. People living in the line of General Sherman's march had suffered much and were greatly disappointed in President Swain. Despite the Union's occupation of Chapel Hill, the University continued to conduct classes, but the graduating class of 1866 had only three members. Before the war broke out, Swain, worried that the University would not last through the turmoil. He hoped that "their university would survive the assault of a hostile world." Sounds like a hope we should embrace today. by Amber Nimocks and Mara Lee Editor's note: Portions of article reprinted from a Oct. 1 1 , 1989, Dai'l'v Tar Heel (i-Jl(;4ci?$ J4fK" tf;vl?ss JJfcv Mara Le and Laura Williams.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Oct. 22, 1992, edition 1
20
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