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Florence’s Southern Female University.
In its Friday, July 11, 1890 issue, the newly-founded *Florence Times* stated: “Florence already has buildings of which she may experience justly proud, but when the Baptist University is completed it volition hold out the most magnificent construction inward the city.” The *Times* was referring to the Southern Female University, nether the auspices of the Baptist Church, which was so nether construction nigh the H2O tower on Seymour Avenue, which inward 1890 was a mile or ii exterior town.
The Southern Female University was created inward 1889 yesteryear the Alabama Baptists led yesteryear Rev. physician JB Hawthorne together with the Hon. William B. Wood together with the Florence Educational, Land together with Development Co. The edifice was designed yesteryear the architectural theater of Rousseau & Brechin, which, amidst other buildings inward Florence also designed the Patton School together with Florence’s City Hall building, both also constructed inward 1890.
The SFU campus comprised 8 acres. The building, which terms $80,000, was 210 feet long, 121 feet wide, 5 stories high, together with contained accommodations for 400 boarders. The edifice contained 125 rooms, including 38 score rooms, 16 recitation rooms, 50 bedrooms for students, a gymnasium, together with a two-story chapel that could spot 750 people. These rooms were heated yesteryear steam, lit yesteryear electricity, together with contained the latest sanitary improvements available inward 1890. Among all their other comforts, all the rooms together with hallways were carpeted. The brick walls were trimmed inward sandstone together with the edifice boasted a mansard (or French) roof alongside occasional gables. The *Florence Herald* reported that the SFU edifice was “the largest together with best appointed edifice of its form inward the State.” Towering over the academy building, only to the raise stood the Florence Water-Works tower, some 120 feet tall, which silent stands to this day.
Rev. LD Bass, DD, was the president of the school. According to the *Florence Times* Mrs. Kate Donegan was the matron (the adult woman inward accuse of the girls boarding at the school, what nosotros would telephone outcry upwards a dorm mother), together with i of the students worked off her tuition yesteryear serving every bit housekeeper—one of the commencement things her fellow-students did was to accept upwards a collection to purchase her a dainty uniform. According to the *Florence Herald* the uniforms of the students were black, together with the *Herald* stated that the girls looked “neat together with pretty” inward them.
School opened inward the academy chapel at at 9:30 am on September 15, 1891, alongside some sixty-three students inward attendance. The immature ladies came from only virtually every Southern dry soil inward the States together with according to the *Herald* from every bit far due north every bit New York together with every bit far southward every bit Nicaragua. According to the *Florence Times* sixty-three girls were introduce for that opening assembly, together with seventy-five girls were registered boarders at the school, alongside to a greater extent than expected soon. Many of the girls were students of other universities taking postgraduate courses at SFU.
The schoolhouse had 19 faculty members together with offered 5 academic courses of study, iii of which led to degrees together with ii to certificates, i class offered beingness a work concern course. According to advertisements for the school, boarding, lights, fuel, servants attendance, etc., for 5 months was $64.50 together with tuition was $25.
As it was a Christian university, the girls attended chapel on Sundays together with though it was officially a Baptist school, the academy was non-denominational inward outlook, thence the commencement sermon preached was yesteryear Rev. TR McCarty of the Methodist Church.
Despite a successful commencement year, SFU started off its minute twelvemonth alongside serious problems, which included its place nearly a mile exterior the urban heart together with person limits, alongside no sidewalks, streetcar, or paved roads. Nevertheless, Florence residents were shocked to abide by on Oct 14, 1892 that physician Bass had been inward negotiations alongside the Elyton Land Co. of Birmingham to relocate the schoolhouse to Birmingham. Indeed, the really adjacent day, Saturday, Oct 15, 1892, the students left Florence for Birmingham at 10 am on the Birmingham, Sheffield together with Tennessee River Railroad. Their finish was the large Lakeview Hotel nigh Birmingham. physician Bass had secured this edifice together with the surrounding seven-acre commons for 5 years rent free. The hotel was fully furnished together with carpeted. According to the *Florence Times* they were to hold out met inward Birmingham yesteryear a brass band, a procession of schoolhouse children, together with urban heart together with person officials welcoming them to Lakeview.
Thus the Southern Female University of Florence relocated from Florence to Birmingham. The edifice inward Florence sat empty for 16 years—until 1908. In the jump of that twelvemonth the edifice was reopened every bit the Florence University for Women. In the adjacent article we’ll human face at the history of that university.
Photos:
L, The Southern Female University edifice from the 1910-1911 catalog of the Florence University for Women, which succeeded the SFU inward 1908. R, Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 paper “card” or advertisement, for the Southern Female University from the *Florence Herald* of Wednesday, September 16, 1891, p. 1.
The Florence University for Women, Successor to the Southern Female University, 1908-1911.
In our terminal article nosotros looked at the Southern Female University, founded inward 1890 on Seymour Avenue inward Florence, adjacent to the water-tower, which was together with is the highest elevation inward Florence. As nosotros noted though, the school, run nether the auspices of the Baptist Church, exclusively operated for ii years, opening inward September of 1891 together with closing of a abrupt inward Oct of 1892 when it relocated to Birmingham. The edifice sat empty together with idle for xvi years, until Apr of 1908.
In its Wednesday, Apr 20, 1908 issue, the *Florence Herald* stated that “Mr. M. W. Hatton, President of the Southern Female College of LaGrange, Ga., has bought from the Florence Land Company the edifice known every bit the Baptist University together with volition opened upwards a college for girls together with immature women September 1st next.”
Prof. M. Wesley Hatton had been President of the Southern Female College of LaGrange, since 1902, together with intended to operate that schoolhouse together with the novel schoolhouse inward Florence along like lines. The Professor had an extensive background inward education, having graduated from Missouri State University together with Harvard University, together with having held teaching positions at McGee College (professor of English linguistic communication together with Anglo-Saxon), Grand River College (professor of German), together with President of Virginia Institute, non to advert Superintendent of Instruction inward Missouri. Prof. Hatton made ii trips to Florence, the minute inward April, accompanied yesteryear his wife, together with was pleased yesteryear what he saw.
The i status was that Florence heighten $2,500. This was done, largely through the efforts of Mr. Nial C. Elting together with the Florence Commercial Club, assisted yesteryear generous donations from the public, alongside the number that the required amount was raised inward exclusively iii days. On May 13, the *Herald* reported the school’s opening inward September of that twelvemonth every bit certain, together with stated that Prof. Hatton was already having catalogues for the schoolhouse printed.
By July, Prof. Hatton together with his assistant, OW Anderton were dorsum inward Florence. The *Florence Times* reported that several contracts for renovating the edifice had been awarded. Recall from the terminal article that the edifice was 210 feet long, 121 feet wide, together with was 5 stories high (counting the basement). It contained 125 rooms, including 38 score rooms, 16 recitation rooms, 50 bedrooms for students, together with a two-story chapel that could spot 750 people. These rooms were heated yesteryear steam, together with lit yesteryear electricity, together with contained the latest sanitary improvements available inward 1890. All the rooms together with hallways were carpeted. The brick walls were trimmed inward sandstone together with the edifice boasted a mansard (French) manner roof alongside occasional gables. The master terms of the edifice was $80,000 together with the campus encompassed 8 acres of land. The *Times* reported that the contract for the furnace was awarded to the Moncrief Furnace Co. of Atlanta, Ga.; the contract for the slate roof was given to George F. Baggott of Florence, piece Donald White of Florence had the contract for the plumbing.
According to the school’s 1910-1911 catalogue, inward add-on to its normal academic courses, which consisted of science, literature, language, Bible, philosophy, art, elocution, normal (teacher training), business, together with domestic (what we’d telephone outcry upwards home-economics), the Florence University for Women also boasted a music conservatory that was said to hold out minute to none. At the terminate of the 1909-1910 schoolhouse twelvemonth President Hatton awarded a $550 pianoforte to the best graduate inward music, whether song or instrumental. There were 16 faculty together with staff members including Prof. together with Mrs. Hatton (he taught higher English linguistic communication together with Anglo-Saxon together with she taught mathematics together with astronomy).
The trustees inward 1911 were John T. Ashcraft; MW Camper; MW Hatton; R L Glenn; HC Gilbert; CM Southall; erstwhile Florence Mayor AE Walker; OW Anderson; together with Frank Jackson, alongside Ashcraft, Camper, Hatton, Anderson together with Glenn comprising the executive committee.
Tuition each twelvemonth was $190 for a total year, or $97.50 for a half-year. Girls whose fathers were pastors received complimentary tuition inward the Literary Department.
The schoolhouse yearbook was called *The Varsity* together with it described the diverse clubs together with associations the girls could belong to, which included the Young Womens’ Christian Association (YWCA), the Tennis Club, the Kodak (photography) Club, the Georgia Club together with the Fudge Club. The University had both a lawn tennis together with basketball game club. There were a brace of literary societies together with the schoolhouse had an fantabulous library. On Mondays together with holidays the girls were allowed to larn horseback riding, accompanied yesteryear their instructor. On Sundays the students attended church, accompanied yesteryear faculty. Annually the students took a three-day trip to Mammoth Cave via the L&N Railroad, which terms each daughter $14. Also each twelvemonth the Sheffield Electric together with Railway Company provided a trolley machine ride together with outing to the students. Every twelvemonth a two-day trip to Shiloh Battlefield was also taken. JW Hall ran a horse-drawn double-decker line to the schoolhouse alongside the commencement double-decker leaving Florence at 8 a.m. together with others coming together the incoming cars (presumably the streetcars which began functioning inward 1904). The fare each agency was 5 cents.
Uniforms were worn yesteryear the girls to church building on Sundays, on the street, together with on populace occasions. For every twenty-four hr menses the girls were allowed to wearing clothing every bit they pleased, every bit long every bit it was neat. The wintertime uniforms were a dark coat together with adjust together with dark Oxford cap, piece the jump uniforms were a white linen adjust together with coat alongside Oxford cap.
On Wednesday, September 9, 1908, the Florence University for Women opened its doors for the commencement time, for a educatee orientation together with reception alongside unopen to 50 students present. The *Times* reported that to a greater extent than students were expected each twenty-four hr menses for several weeks.
Unfortunately, disaster struck the academy at 3 a.m., Thursday, March 2, 1911, when a forcefulness out broke out at the University. This was ironic because the Southern Female College inward LaGrange, Georgia, the sis schoolhouse to the Female University inward Florence, burned to the the world inward July of 1908.
Prof. Hatton was awakened about 3 a. m. yesteryear the sounds of screaming girls, and, rushing exterior of his room, he saw that the eastern business office of the edifice was on fire. While Mrs. Hatton called the Florence Fire Dept. Prof. Hatton heroically attempted to issue the fire, alongside the school’s fire-hose, but it was no use. The edifice chop-chop burned to the ground. Fortunately, no i was injured, relieve a sprained talocrural articulation suffered yesteryear Prof. Hatton. Though the students together with faculty lost exclusively what was inward their rooms, Prof. CW Best lost all of his worldly possessions, which were inward his room. The girls were housed alongside neighbors of the academy piece plans were made for them to hold out boarded, together with for schoolhouse to continue, at the Jefferson Hotel inward Florence silent on March nine the *Florence Herald* reported that the schoolhouse would non reopen.
The total loss on the edifice was $100,000. The academy was insured for $16,000--$12,000 on the edifice together with $4,000 on furnishings. The *Florence Times* speculated that every bit in that place was no forcefulness out burning inward the furnace, faulty wiring was the campaign of the fire.
Friday, May 5, the *Florence Times* reported that Prof. CW Best, manager of music at the erstwhile Florence University for Women, along alongside Mrs. Best, Miss Gabriella Knight together with Miss Helen Katz had only founded the Florence Conservatory of Music. How long this establishment was inward functioning isn’t known.
