It makes you wonder: Were their
dorm damage deposits returned?
That might be one of many
questions raised by the recently discovered floorboards from South
College, which bear the initials of
students from the mid-1800s.
During South's renovation, workers
came across the floorboards that may have been cut down to serve as stair
treads. Several sets of initials, some with class years, can be seen. Some are
complete. Others were cut off when the pine boards were shortened. Some are
carved with a stonecutter's precision and artistry. Others are as indistinct as
mysterious runes.
With the help of the Special
Collections staff and the Centennial Catalog, the curious can speculate
on the identities of the carvers. Was “HRR” the ill-fated Henry Reed
Rathbone, Lincoln's theater guest
who sustained grievous stab wounds as he tried to subdue the fleeing John
Wilkes Booth? Was “B Cannon” Benjamin Cannon, Class of 1840, who went
on to become an attorney? Was “A Potter DD” Aaron Potter, the Baptist
minister from the Class of 1842? And was “J Whitaker” the Jacob
Whitaker, Class of 1852, who was a surgeon who served with the New York
Volunteers in the Civil War?
The brash young scholars who
carved their initials for posterity certainly left their 21st-century
counterparts a conundrum. When does 19th-century vandalism become a priceless
College artifact? Perhaps in the eyes of true-life mystery lovers.
Click here to read a story about
the House System and South College
renovation: http://www.union.edu/N/DS/s.php?s=3227