Davidson in 1910

Happy 2010 – to start off this year, we’ll take a look at Davidson a century ago.


In 1910, Davidson College had 14 faculty including President Henry Louis Smith and 315 students, including 2 international students from Persia. Tuition was $89.00 per year but their were additional expenses. Population of the town of Davidson  was under 1000.

Davidson College Magazine cover stating, "~The~ Davidson College Magazine November, 1910" A generic picture of a building with four columns below the heading.Neither college nor town had a newspaper. The student literary magazine.The Davidson College Magazine, which had a tradition of including a column of local news had only 5 newsworthy items for the entire year. The subject matter reflects a primary interest of the student editors:

  • Miss Mary Young spent some time with her grandmother in Charlotte, N.C.
  • Miss Irving Harding, one of the most attractive and popular girls in town, has returned home after an extended visit to relatives in Virginia.
  • Mrs Thompson, of Charlotte, NC, has been on a recent visit to her sister, Miss Hattie Thompson.
  • Miss Grace Crawford visited her sister, Miss Minnie Crawford, and friends of the Presbyterian College, recently in Charlotte, N.C.
  • Miss Minnie Scofield attended the funeral of her uncle, Mr. Clifford, of Union, S.C.

Carnegie LibraryThere were a few other newsworthy events including the completion of the new Carnegie Library building, the addition of the first courses in psychology and the establishment of a student government association and the tradition of student-run honor system  Below are campus images, examples of student humor, and excerpts from college publications

In hopes of making 2010, interesting if not newsworthy, we’d love to get suggestions for topics for future Around the D entries. Do you have questions about Davidson’s history? Send them in.

team photos of the basketball squad and the basketball team. the 1910 football team, 14 members, two trees in the background
8 people on the roof of old chambers captioned, "Taking the view from the rool of old chambers"Orchestra and Glee Club, 19 men in black suits and bowties holding their instruments, violin, cello, trumpet...

A group of people holding hands in a circle on some grass with a building and a tree in the background captioned, "Dating - Davidson style, 1910"

1910 dorm room, pennants and pictures on the walls. Two man sitting on the bed. There is a dresser with a large eliptical mirror on top of it.

watts joke, "Fresh (on buying a Tungsten light): "I see this is labeled for 40 Watts on the cover. Do you suppose it will work in the Georgia building!""

Chapel bell poem, titled "To the Chapel Bell" in old english font. the poem "TOLL on, thou bell of mournful accents--toll; Four hundred tongues revile thy name in vain; Thou mark'st our lives with ruin--our control Stops with thy toll; upon the broadening plain The wrecks are all thy deed; nor do remain But few who wishing one more minute's rest Put off to rise, and in that moment lone Salvation passed--thy clanging ceased; the best Excuse the wretch could make could not atone, And now far from our campus green he sleeps--at home. T.M.S."
statistics class 1910, the statistics such as age, height, weight, favorite game, ever kiss a girl, etc...picture of a very tall/elnongated man on the left of the document.4 poems under the title, "Bugology". I "Wiggle, wiggle little bug, It won't be any use; I've got you in my forceps hug, You simply can't get loose." II "I've got to draw your maxillae, Your segments and your wings, Your antenules, your antenae, And lots of other things." III "___ says I've got to dissect you, Cut up your mesothorax, And see if you'll know what to do Without your hypopharynx." IV "So wiggle, wiggle, little but, ___ won't have an excuse, I've got you in my forceps hug, You simply can't get loose." A. Leazar, '11. with a sketch of a mosquito

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