Introduction | Class Traditions | Cornhuskin' | Crook Hunt | Meredith Jewelry
Stunt, Palio and Play Day | Meredith Land Use History | Tucker Farm
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Introduction

           The following papers were written for two reasons.   First, the authors want to provide a source of quick and accurate information about Meredith traditions and history.   Subjects were chosen because the College Archives receives questions in these areas frequently and there has been no good, single source for the answers.   Second, the only sources for much of the information on these traditions are the memories of participants from past decades.   We want to put the information on paper before it disappears completely.

The author of all the papers except one is Rachel Stenbuck, Class of 2005.   Rachel is responsible for the interviews, research, writing and documentation, which were done during the Spring 2002 semester.   Ted Waller, Head of Technical Services, Carlyle Campbell Library, is the author of the paper on land use history.

           The authors wish to thank Dr. Jean Jackson and the Meredith College Creative Ideas Fund, which provided financial support for the project.

Class Traditions

Big Sis/Little Sis

           One of the oldest and the best-known tradition at Meredith is that of the juniors adopting one or two members of the freshman class as their "Little Sis."   Early student handbooks contain the earliest known references to this tradition.   The 1919 Student Handbook has a welcome letter to the Little Sis class.   In 1920, the letter was exchanged for a poem greeting the incoming freshmen.   Although there are now several Big Sis/Little Sis socials every semester, Dr. Ione Knight (class of 1943) relates that when she was a student at Meredith there was only one Big Sis/Little Sis event: a picnic where the Big Sis class entertained the Little Sis class.  

Class Day

           An important part of the Big Sis/Little Sis tradition is Class Day, a ceremony held the day before spring commencement to celebrate the sisterly relationship between the senior and sophomore classes.   In early years, on the morning of Class Day, the sophomores got up before dawn and rode in pickup trucks to various fields and houses to pick ivy and daisies.   More recently the daisies were gathered from fields on the campus, or purchased.   The Little Sises then weave the ivy and daisies around two large, long ropes to make giant daisy chains.   The 1947-48 Student Handbook reports that the juniors would decorate the posts for the daisy chains. [1]    These chains are then used to form the Big Sis's class numerals on the island in the amphitheater during the ceremony that evening (before the amphitheater was built, they used the now-demolished front steps of Johnson Hall [2] ).   After the class numerals are formed, the Big Sister class tears apart the chain in celebration.   During the ceremony, the sisters serenade each other, the Big Sises review their four years at Meredith, and the crook and class doll are presented.   The ceremony is followed by a Class Day picnic in the courtyard between Johnson Hall and Belk Dining Hall.

Odd Traditions

           The odd-numbered classes have several traditions that are unique to their classes.   On Class Day, odd-numbered classes wear a black glove on their left hand to represent the "odd spirit."     This perhaps incorporates centuries-old folklore that associated left-handedness with evil and "oddness."   During the Class Day ceremony, the odd-numbered Big Sises give their Little Sises bones, a tradition that comes from the odd class's class song, "Them Bones."   Their mascot is a red devil, and the class colors are blue and white for the first two years, and rainbow colors for the second. [3]

Even Traditions

           There are also certain class traditions that are special to the even-numbered classes.   The class song, sung or recited at Class Day, is "Hail to the Even Spirit."   During the Class Day ceremony, the even-numbered Big Sises give bags of sticks and stones to their Little Sises to help ward off the odd class's bones.   The class colors are green and white, except for leap year classes, when the colors are purple and gold.   On "Soph Day Off," a day in spring when sophomores are honored at a special breakfast and evening class party, the even-numbered sophomores wear green stockings. [4]

The Meredith Angels

           As far back as anyone can remember, the Meredith mascot has been an angel.   Dr. Jean Jackson (class of 1975) knows two stories relating to the possible origins of the Meredith Angel.   One is that Meredith's "brother school," Wake Forest College (now Wake Forest University), had the "Demon Deacons" as their mascot; therefore, the angel was chosen for Meredith.   The other explanation starts with the fact that Meredith sits on farmland once owned by the Tucker family.   When the College was built on the present site in the mid-1920's, it was surrounded by other farms.   It was the custom for locations to be known by the farm in the area.   Local people would refer to areas as the Tucker Farm, the State Farm, or the Prison Farm, for example. Angel Farm became the name used when describing the area around Meredith and the college itself. [5]    Male students at Wake Forest began visiting Meredith to secretly paint their name or their school's name on the college's water tower, which was torn down sometime before 1963.   It became a rite-of-passage into fraternities at neighboring colleges and universities.   An article in The Twig relates that a male student from the North Carolina State University climbed the tower, painted "Angel Farm" on it, and was met with a $25 fine when he climbed down.   However, Meredith students raised the money to pay his fine.   Another painting episode of note occurred in the 1950's when some visiting men from the U.S. Marine Corps climbed the tower to put their name on it. [6]      It was not until April 18, 1980, that the Angel was made the official mascot in its form.   This design was created by Teresa Parker (class of 1980) and was chosen by the student body after a campaign started by the Student Government Association Executive Committee. [7]

Flossie Mae

           In addition to the Meredith Angel, another mascot was Flossie Mae Wooten.   Flossie Mae was a child-sized mannequin adopted as the class mascot by the class of 1977.   The class found her in a dumpster outside of a department store while looking for props, [8] and used her in the 1975 Cornhuskin'.  

Billy Astro

Billy Astro is the name of the Mascot of the Astrotekton Society.   Billy is a two-foot high goat made of papier-mâché.   He was made around 1980 and is passed down to the new leaders of the Society each year.

Works Cited

Cralle, Sarah Ruth, and Saribeth Anderson, eds. Oak Leaves 1977.   Raleigh, North Carolina: Meredith College

Ipock, Ann.   "'Angel Farm' Water Tank Receives Mysterious Decoration from Marine Corps."   The Twig.   28 March 1952.   Vol. XXVI, No. 9. p. 3

Knight, Ione, Ph.D.   Personal interview.   16 April 2002

Jackson, Jean, Ph.D.   Personal interview.   25 April 2002

Johnson, Mary Lynch.   A History of Meredith College, second edition.   Raleigh, North Carolina: Edwards & Broughton Company, 1972

Robinson, Carolyn.   Personal interview.   26 April 2002

Student Handbook: Meredith College 1947-1948.   Raleigh, North Carolina, 1947-1948

Student Handbook: The Many Sides of Meredith 1981-1982.   Raleigh, North Carolina: Student Government Association, Meredith College, 1981

Cornhuskin'

Cornhuskin' is now one of the most elaborate and familiar of Meredith's traditions, yet one of the most mysterious.   When it is mentioned or new students ask about it, they hear the infamous line, "You'll just have to experience it."   While few freshmen know much about it, even fewer people know the history behind this competition of the classes.

History of Cornhuskin'

The first Cornhuskin' was held on October 30, 1945.   It was started by Ms. Doris Peterson, Associate Professor in the Physical Education Department, and was sponsored by the Meredith Recreation Association (MRA). [9]    Because the first Cornhuskin' was held the day before Halloween, [10] in its early years it had Halloween themes and was considered a Halloween/fall celebration as well as a way to honor the freshmen.   For the first decade or so, it was called the Corn Huskin' Bee.   Ms. Peterson chose the name because in the Midwest, where she was from, such events are called husking bees, not shucking bees. [11]    The evening's events started at dinner, where the students arrived dressed as hillbilly couples.   A prize was awarded for the best costumes.   After dinner, the students moved outside for more activities in front of the dining hall. [12]    One of the first activities was folk dances, on which Ms. Peterson was an authority. [13]    Chicken and hog calling, three-legged races, and a parade were other events in the first celebration.   According to Ms. Carolyn Robinson, the present College historian and member of the class of 1950, the president of the college usually won the hog calling and corn husking competitions in the early years.   In 1946, the celebration was repeated and the music and dance departments collaborated on a performance of the folksong "Swing the Shining Sickle," which became a traditional song. [14]    In 1949, the now traditional "Tall Tale" contest was added. [15]

           Ms. Peterson's Corn Huskin' Bee became a favorite, and in 1951, the after-dinner activities moved to Jones auditorium. [16]      During the fifties, several different contests replaced the chicken and hog calling competitions.   In 1957, participants tried a pie-eating contest and a cow-milking contest (the students had to create their own cow). [17]    The next year these ideas were dropped in favor of a hula-hooping contest, [18] and in 1959, a doughnut-eating contest was added where the doughnuts were suspended by string and had to be caught and eaten using only the participant's mouth. [19]    It was not until 1960 that the now familiar apple-bobbing contest began. [20]    In 1964, judges began awarding points for class participation. [21]    The winning class received a giant pumpkin and the fun of gloating over the other classes.   In 1961 the word "Bee" was dropped and the remaining words were combined to form "Cornhuskin'". [22]   

Changes to Cornhuskin'

           Other traditional Cornhuskin' events have included water-fights and pranks in the dorms.   In 1976 such activities were banned due to over-zealous students, and a reprimand was read during the evening's events.   Dr. Jean Jackson, class of 1975 and class president her freshman year, recalls being kidnapped during her first Cornhuskin'.   Several sophomores grabbed her and slammed her up against a vending machine in one of the dorms.   Other destructive activities included pouring salt into stereo systems and taking the harmless water fights to a dangerous level.   Students stood on the upper level breezeways between Vann and Stringfield dorms with buckets of hot water to pour on other students when they passed beneath.   The water fights also included a game of "capture the dinner bell" with water guns and the old, large dinner bell that used to sit next to the Belk dining hall.   In the 70's and 80's, efforts were made to clean up Cornhuskin', and new guidelines were set in place to prevent property and physical damage. [23]    Since that time, only carefully monitored hall raids have been allowed.  

Activities

Not all the Cornhuskin' traditions were violent.   Less controversial were the themes around which the classes and faculty chose to center their activities.   1957 was the first year that a theme was used by the sophomore class, an idea so popular that following year every class had one. [24]    The Bathtub Ring, a student singing group, entertained while the judges deliberated.   For many years a staff member concluded the celebration with a rendition of "How Great Thou Art."   Traditionally, selected faculty members have participated in all events, although they eventually stopped performing skits.   It was not until the 50^th anniversary of Cornhuskin' that it was moved from Thursday night to Friday night.   The students were concerned that the switch would discourage participation, but the administration pointed out that it would allow alumnae to return for the anniversary celebration.   It has been on Friday night ever since.  

           Although many details about Cornhuskin' have changed, the spirit of the tradition remains strong.   Cornhuskin' events and class themes reflect the changing culture inside and outside the Meredith campus.   For decades this Meredith tradition has offered a creative outlet for students to express themselves, and strengthen the bonds between the members of each class.

Works Cited

"A. A. Schedules All-Student Husking Bee."   The Twig.   26 October 1945.   Vol. XX, No. 3.   p.1

"AA Sponsors Corn Huskin'."   The Twig.   28 October 1960.   Vol. XXXV, No. 4. p. 1

"A. A. Sponsors Corn Huskin' Bee on Halloween."   The Twig.   26 October 1951.   Vol. XXVI,   No. 2.   p. 1

"Athletic Association Provides Revelry in Corn Huskin' Bee."   The Twig.   26 October 1946.     Vol. XXI, No. 3.   p. 1

"Classes Ready for Corn Huskin' Bee."   The Twig.   25 October 1957.   Vol. XXXII, No. 2. p. 1

Dale, Kim.   "Senior Stars sweep awards" The Twig.   3 November 1976.   Vol. LI, No. 8. p. 2

Finan, Polly.   "Class of '66 As Juniorcrats Win Election in Annual Corn Huskin'."   The Twig.   5 November 1964.   Vol. XXXIX, No. 4. p. 3

"Five Teams To Compete at Annual Corn Huskin'."   The Twig.   31 October 1958.   Vol. XXXIII, No. 2.   p. 1

H. J. M.   "Is Huskin' Worth It?"   The Twig.     27 October 1961.   Vol. XXXVII, No. 3. p. 2

Jackson, Jean, Ph.D.   Personal interview.   25 April 2002

Johnson, Mary Lynch.   A History of Meredith College, second edition.   Raleigh, North Carolina: Edwards & Broughton Company, 1972

Kirby, Linda.   "Class of 1960 Wins Corn Huskin' For Fourth Time."   The Twig.   6 November 1959.   Vol. XXXIV, No. 3. p. 4

Knight, Ione, Ph.D.   Personal interview.   16 April 2002

Meredith College Archives, Vertical files.   "Cornhuskin"

Pittard, Penny.   "Corn Huskin': Born in '45, Celebrates Birthday."   The Twig.   26 October 1962. Vol. XXXVII, No. 4.   p. 3

Robinson, Carolyn.   Personal interview.   26 April 2002

Crook Hunt

Beginnings

           The Crook Hunt was started in 1906 by Caroline Bury Phelps, a drama professor at Meredith1.   The Crook was brought in for Class Day, when there were nine members in the class of 1906, and eight parts.   Ms. Phelps came to Meredith from Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan, where a similar tradition was in place2.   She presented the senior class with a large shepherd's crook, and they in turn gave it to the rising senior class on Class Day with instructions to hide it from the juniors2.  

General Information

           Rules for hiding the Crook were first printed in the 1933-1934 Student Handbook.   At the beginning of fall semester, the Crook was to be decorated with the senior class colors and hidden. The juniors did not start looking for it until March.   To aid in the search, the seniors hid a series of clues around campus.   If the juniors found the Crook, they added a black bow to the Crook's decorations and hid it from the senior class.   The hiding continued until Class Day.   In 1982 a one week time limit was set for the juniors' search3, which since then has usually occurred in late April or early May.   Some rules governing the hiding place have remained the same.   For example, the Crook must be partly visible at all times and must be hidden in a place where it can be removed; it cannot be locked up.   The class in possession of the Crook at the end of the semester is allowed to display its class colors on the Crook during Class Day.   If the juniors do not find it by midnight on the first Saturday in May, the Crook is declared neutral until the fall semester.   According to Dr. Ione Knight (class of 1943) when she was a student at Meredith, the Crook Hunt was popular because it was an on-campus activity and the students rarely were allowed off campus.   The clues were hidden in a chain fashion – each clue led to another.   Students also had one month to find the Crook, unlike the week that the juniors have today.  

Interesting Hiding Places

           Over the years, the Crook has been hidden in some unusual places.   It has been sewn into a faculty member's mattress, tied to a water pipe in the tunnel, placed on roofs, fastened behind a bulletin board, and hidden on a rafter in the first chapel building (no longer in existence)3.   Dr. Jean Jackson, class of 1975 and Vice President for Student Development, is proud of the hiding place that her class used their senior year.   They took down one of the short outdoor lighting lamps around the lake and had the paint matched at a hardware store.   After wrapping the Crook in art paper, they painted it to match the lamp and buried it where the real lamp belonged, showing just enough of the Crook to be legal.   The juniors never found it.   Dr. Jackson has heard of the Crook being duct taped to the underside of one of the bridges at the lake.   The tape broke loose, and the juniors discovered the Crook floating in the water.   In 2002, the class of 2003 gridded the campus and divided themselves into groups.   Each group was assigned to search thoroughly their section of campus.   Unfortunately for them, the Crook was hidden in a section of campus near the President's house that was not gridded or searched.  

Much earlier, in the early 1910's, the Crook was hidden so that a student had to hang out of a window to retrieve it.   The danger of such hiding places led to a ban on the Crook hunts from 1913 until 1929, when the Crook was presented to the rising seniors on Class Day.   The hunt was again stopped in 1948 due to lack of interest.   According to Carolyn Robinson (class of 1950) it was reinstated in her senior year, when her class hid it on the roof of the dining hall.   Since then the Crook Hunt has seen times of both popularity and disinterest.  

Works Cited

Farris, Catherine, ed.   Students Handbook of Meredith College 1933-1934.   Raleigh, North Carolina:

Jackson, Jean, Ph.D.   Personal interview.   25 April 2002

Johnson, Mary Lynch.   A History of Meredith College, second edition.   Raleigh, North Carolina: Edwards & Broughton Company, 1972

Knight, Ione, Ph.D.   Personal interview.   16 April 2002

Robinson, Carolyn.   Personal interview.   26 April 2002

Waters, Pam and Kim Metts, eds.   "Who Hid the Crook?"   The Twig.   3 May 1982.   Vol. LX, No. 22.   p. 2

Meredith Jewelry

Class Ring

           Prior to 1953, the Meredith class ring was different from year to year.   It resembled a high school class ring, except it had an onyx as the stone with the Meredith Shield on top.   Many students did not like it and did not get a class ring because it looked so much like their high school ring.   Others did not believe it looked professional enough for a woman to wear in the workplace, and because it changed from year to year, it was not easily recognizable.   Dr. Ione Knight (class of 1943) recounts that the only classes that did not have a class ring at all were during World War II, when materials were scarce.   Neither she nor her sister (class of 1948) was even offered a class ring.   However, a few years later the tradition returned. [25]    In 1953, Ann Lovell (class of 1954) was asked to organize a committee of two to change the class ring.   After coming up with a design that incorporated some ideas from another local women's college (possibly Peace), she received approval from the student government and took the drawings to Jostens Jewelers.     Jostens turned the design into the class ring that is still used today. [26]    The only changes made to the design were for the centennial class (1991).   In that year oak leaves on either side of the stone were moved slightly and the class year was put on the sides.   The following year the design was returned to Ms. Lovell's original design. [27]      The design is elegant and allows Meredith graduates to recognize each other with a handshake.  

Works Cited

Jackson, Jean, Ph.D.   Personal interview.   25 April 2002

Knight, Ione, Ph.D.   Personal interview.   16 April 2002

Lovell, Ann.   Personal interview.   25 May 2002

Stunt, Palio, and Play Day

Brief History

According the Mary Lynch Johnson, Stunt Night, as it was first called, is said to have begun on March 16, 1915 [28] and was sponsored by the Athletic Association. [29]    In 1935, Palio was added to Stunt by Miss Marian Warner. [30]    Palio, an afternoon of parades and fun before Stunt Night, was an adaptation of the Italian celebration of the same name.   The last Palio celebration was in 1951, eighteen years after the first observance. [31]      Stunt Night, however, continues to this day with one major adjustment: in 1934, Stunt Night was expanded into Stunt Day, beginning with a tree planting. [32]

Stunt

           Since its beginning in 1913, Stunt has undergone many minor changes.   It began as a fall activity and has switched back and forth between fall and spring semesters.   Currently, it is a spring semester activity.   While it started with each class presenting a skit, it was changed to mostly athletic or field day activities in the late 1980's. [33]    When Stunt was first judged in 1923, winners received a silver loving cup as a prize.   In the 1930's Palio and Stunt were held on the same day, separated by horse and bicycle races in the afternoon. [34]    Each class had a theme and skit for Stunt Night, which was kept secret until the big night.   In 1922 and 1923, the sophomores stole the freshmen's ideas and incorporated them into their own skit.   The freshmen retaliated the next year by fully preparing and organizing three skits, giving them a choice for the evening's activities. [35]    Dr. Ione Knight, class of 1943, was impressed by the originality and effort that went into the skits, but she also remembers the time and spending limits set on the stunts.   Ms. Carolyn Robinson (class of 1950) was also struck by her class's stunt their sophomore year.   She believes they won the loving cup with their more serious skit because it was so different from the usual humorous skits.  

Big Changes to Stunt

           Dr. Jean Jackson, class of 1975, came back to Meredith in 1983 to serve in faculty and administrative positions.   She has observed many changes in Stunt over the years, and believes that the current celebration is closer to the tradition of Play Day.   This now-extinct celebration was an afternoon of games and fun, but did not include a skit.   The big change in Stunt activities occurred in the late 1980's.   During her time as a student, Dr. Jackson says that Stunt was on the decline until only a core group of women from each class participated.   She fondly remembers winning Stunt her senior year when she played a character named "Lotta Chatter."   The activity most closely resembling the original Stunt activities is the Lip Sync competition, which is similar to the original songs that were written and performed when Stunt was relatively new.  

           Each year, the Student Handbook gives rules for Stunt and Palio.   In 1947, a new rule was enacted that the class with the most participants in Palio won reserved seats for Stunt night. The class that won the parade part of Palio had their class numbers placed on the Palio banner.   The two events were separated in 1950, when Palio became an evening event. [36]      Stunt then was moved to the spring, according to the 1951-1952 Student Handbook. The following year was the last time Palio was mentioned in the Handbook.   Stunt moved between semesters several more times in the following decades.   In 1957-1958, the Handbook records that it was moved back to the fall, and in 1971-1972 it returned to the spring semester.   The reward for winning Stunt, the loving cup, also underwent some adjustments.   The 1954-1955 Handbook states that if a class won the cup two years in a row, it could keep the trophy.   This rule was changed to three years in 1962-1963, and no one has been allowed to keep the cup since 1968-1969.

Stunt Events

           The main event of Stunt was the skits, each with its own theme.   In 1929 the junior theme was that in 1999 everyone ran on springs and had to be wound up with a key.   The characters in the skit kept winding down and going limp and then had to be rewound by another character, who spent most of the skit winding people up. [37]    The skits usually included songs and occasionally orchestral accompaniment.   The November 7, 1933 issue of The Twig describes another interesting skit, where the sophomores used a real cow in their stunt, but the seniors won that year with a male guest in theirs. [38]

           In 1988-1989, Stunt switched from skits to games.   Recent events have included Flour Power, Halo Chase, Tug of War, Lip Sync, Egg Toss, Sponge Toss, Balloon Toss, Bat Spin, and a three-legged race.   This is typical of how Stunt is celebrated today.   While it has been through many changes, the relaxing spirit of Stunt remains the same, offering students the opportunity to relax, release stress, and have fun during the spring semester.

Palio Events

           According to Dr. Ione Knight (class of 1943), when she was a student at Meredith Palio and Stunt were on the same day.   After classes on Saturday ended at noon, the students would start their Palio parade down the front drive.   There were horse races with papier-mâché horse heads on broomsticks "ridden" by students, and faculty impersonations with papier-mâché heads made to look like different members of the administration.   The event was run by Helen Price, Professor of Latin and Greek, and by Meredith Athletic Association (now called Meredith Entertainment Association).   According to Ms. Caroline Robinson, each class would pick a theme for the parade and dress appropriately.   She also enjoyed the songs that the students wrote and sang in the parade.   According to Dr. Dorothy Preston, class of 1954, many students did not like Palio.   During the parade, many young men from N.C. State University came to watch the events.   The young women of Meredith did not like being seen by the men while they were riding broomsticks and parading in horses' heads of papier-mâché.   The Meredith students continued the tradition out of their respect and affection for Dr. Price in spite of such awkward situations.  

 

Play Day

           According to Dr. Knight, Play Day was a day when faculty and students took half the day off from classes to gather in the courtyard and play games.   She believes President Campbell introduced it in 1940-1941.   The students would compete against the faculty in games such as softball and checkers.   They would also jump rope and end the afternoon with a picnic for all.   A Duke of Play Day was selected from among the faculty and a Duchess from the students.   Ms. Robinson remembers playing tennis, croquet, badminton, volleyball, and running three-legged races.   Dr. Jackson remembers when activities were more extreme.   One year, a wrecked car was towed onto the courtyard and students could pay for the opportunity to paint a person's name on the car and whack it with a stick.   Not only was this a fund-raiser for on-campus groups, but also a great way to relieve stress. Although Play Day is no longer celebrated, its memory lives on in some of the activities in present celebrations of Stunt.  

 

Works Cited

"Annual Stunt Day Events Directed By Aileen Snow, Oct. 21."   The Twig.   14 October 1939.   Vol. XIV, No. 2. p. 1

"Class of '34 Wins Stunt Night Cup for Third Year."   The Twig.   7 November 1933.   Vol. XIII, No. 4.   p. 1

Jackson, Jean, Ph.D.   Personal interview.   25 April 2002

Johnson, Mary Lynch.   A History of Meredith College, second edition.   Raleigh, North Carolina: Edwards & Broughton Company, 1972

"Juniors Win First Place In Annual Stunt Night."   The Twig.   31 October 1929.   Vol. IX, No. 5.  p.1

Knight, Ione, Ph.D.   Personal interview.   16 April 2002

LaRue, Joanne.   "Palio Scheduled as Night Event in November: Student Body Votes Changes." The Twig.   20 October 1950.   Vol. XXV, No. 2. p. 5

"Palio and Stunt Night History."   The Twig.   29 October 1948.   Vol. XXIII, No. 2.   p. 5

Preston, Dorothy K. Personal interview.   01 February 2003

Robinson, Carolyn.   Personal interview.   26 April 2002

"Stunt Day to Be Held Here on Next Saturday; Program Begins at 2:00."   The Twig.   18 October 1941.   Vol. XVI, No. 2.   p. 1

Land Use History of Meredith College

           In 1899, what is now Meredith College opened its doors to the first students in a grand Victorian style building on Blount Street in downtown Raleigh.   Known then as the Baptist Female University, it educated young women there for 27 years.   In   the spring of 1926 the college moved to the much more spacious present location at Hillsborough and Faircloth Streets.   Meredith's land is rich in history, as is the rest of the city of Raleigh.   In addition, the boundaries of the college have changed a number of times.   This report details what is known about the history of the land on which Meredith sits.

           The land on which Meredith sits is known historically as the Tucker Farm, or, more completely, the old Tucker Waverly Farm in House's Creek Township.   The property was put together from several different parcels purchased in 1922 and 1923.   Most of the property was from the estate of Rufus Sylvester Tucker, a wealthy landowner who owned over 5,000 acres in Wake and surrounding counties.   Although some of the Tucker property had passed to the Baker family before Meredith purchased it, the area was still known as the Tucker Farm.

           While there is no direct evidence that Native Americans occupied Meredith's land before the arrival of Europeans, research of nearby areas suggests that it is a possibility.   According to Historical Research Report, Polk Prison Property, by Dennis F. Daniels of the N.C. Division of Archives and History, archaeological work in nearby western Wake County has revealed evidence of Native American activity as early as the Paleo-Indian Period, before 8,000 B.C. [39]    In this area, archaeological surveys have identified artifacts "in wooded uplands north of Crabtree Creek and east of Ebenezer Church Road,"   "in the floodplain of Richland Creek" between I-40 and US 70, and "on a hilltop overlooking Crabtree Creek and Richland Creek." [40]   

           Wake County was formed in 1771.   In the years between 1776 and 1799,   most of the land in the county was granted to individuals by the governor in parcels of several hundred acres.   A map of early Wake County land grants [41] indicates Meredith's land was originally deeded to Joel Lane.   Lane, born in 1740, was a prominent Wake County legislator, Revolutionary War lieutenant colonel and planter. [42]    At one time, he owned thousands of acres in Wake County.   According to the Markham map, he was given the land on which Meredith sits in 1779.   Joel Lane's will indicates that the Meredith land was given to his son James Lane upon his death.   The will states, "… I give and bequeath to my son James Lane his heirs and assigns forever four hundred and ninety five acres of land lying on both sides of House's Creek." [43]    Houses Creek is a short distance west of Meredith's property.

           It is possible that the portion of the northern edge of the Meredith property originally across from Ridge Road belonged to Nathaniel Jones, not Joel Lane.   There is some uncertainty about original ownership because it is difficult to identify with certainty Meredith's current boundaries on the Markham map.   Nathaniel Jones does not appear in any of the standard reference sources for North Carolina historical biography.

           No information is available on the ownership of the land between the time James Lane inherited it from his father in 1795 and its purchase by Rufus Tucker, probably in the 1850's.

           In 1861, the lands now comprising the eastern State Fairgrounds, N.C.S.U. Faculty Club, the School of Veterinary Medicine, and north to the North Carolina Museum of Art were combined to form Camp Mangum, a training facility for Confederate soldiers.   It was named after Lt. William Preston Mangum, who died at the First Battle of Bull Run, and William Person Mangum, a former U.S. senator and father of Lt. Mangum. [44]    While most of the Meredith land remained part of the Tucker Farm during the Civil War, the western edge was part of the camp.

           After being returned to Tucker after the Civil War, the western edge was used for agriculture again until World War I.   In 1918 it was incorporated along with the other Camp Mangum lands into Camp Polk, a tank training camp.   In 1919 it again returned to the Tucker Farm.

           The type of agricultural activity on the Meredith College part of the former Tucker Farm is not known.   A 1956 N.C Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service map shows alfalfa being grown on the part north of Wade Avenue, and alfalfa, pasture and unspecified crops on the land just to the west of Meredith.   There is a photograph in the N.C. Division of   Archives and History that is strong evidence for cotton growing in the area between the library and I-440. [45]    This photograph bears the caption, "Tower #688, Yadkin River Power Co., 100 K.V. line, Durham Method Section.     Young Cotton on Tucker Estate near Raleigh, N.C."   The workers are standing under a transmission tower, and old maps show a transmission line running across that part of campus.   The topography and flora in the photograph are very similar to that area. The Polk Prison property research states that Tucker's farm produced cotton, hay, cattle, rutabaga, corn, wheat, oats, peas, cattle, hogs and sheep. [46]    Shaffer's 1887 map of Wake County [47] shows a body of water called Tucker's Pond at the approximate location of the N.C.S.U. Faculty Club, indicating that Tucker's land extended at least that far west.

The original property did not include the part north of Wade Avenue. This section was added in 1964 and 1968.   It also did not include the western side of campus extending from the road behind the library to what is now I-440.   That section was added in 1936.   The original property included a triangular shaped parcel from south of Hillsborough Street to the railroad, and bounded by Elizabeth Street on the east (just west of Gorman Street) and Method Road on the west.   That section was sold in 1941. [48]

           There are a number of other changes that have been made on the Meredith grounds over the years. Among these changes are:

• A 1945 city of Raleigh map prepared by the Department of Public Works shows a railroad spur track coming off the railroad line across Hillsborough Street.   This spur went due north in a line past where the back of the library is now, then curving to the east and ending at a 100,000 gallon water tank that was directly behind the dining hall.   The railroad spur was used to bring coal to the Meredith power plant; the water tower supplied Meredith with water.
• The same 1945 map shows the Raleigh city line at the same spot as the railroad spur mentioned above.   This indicates that the western side of the College was outside the city limits, while the rest of the campus was within the city.
• A 1918 map of the area of Camp Polk shows the boundaries of the Tucker Estate.   A road called the Old Durham Road cuts through the center of the campus.   The road goes in a straight line at the southeast corner and exits at the beltline, approximately behind the Gaddy-Hamrick Art Center.   This road extended up to what is now called Reedy Creek Road.   Remnants of this road can still be seen on an aerial photo published in a 1960 soil survey by the U.S.D.A.
• Shaffer's 1887 map of Wake County shows a body of water called Tucker's Pond at the approximate location of the N.C.S.U. Faculty Club, indicating that Tucker's land extended at least that far west.

 

Works Cited

Daniels, Dennis F.   Historical Research Report, Polk Prison Property.   Raleigh, North Carolina: Research Branch, Division of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, 2001.

Land Grants to Early Settlers in Wake County.   Map.   Durham, N.C.: A.B. Markham, 1978.

Reid, Elizabeth Davis. "Joel Lane." Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, Ed. William S. Powell. Vol. 4.   Chapel Hill, N.C.: The University of North Carolina Press, 1988. 12.

Shaffer's Map of Wake County.   1887.

Wake County Registry. Book 1946. 42.

Will of Joel Lane. Feb. 7, 1798. <http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~bowers/lane/joelwl.htm>

Young Cotton on Tucker Estate. 1923.   Photograph in the CP&L Collection, Division of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.

Black Workers Picking Cotton Near Raleigh, N.C. 1923.   Photograph in the CP&L Collection, Division of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.

Other Sources Used in the Report on Land Use

All of these sources   are available in the Meredith College Archives.

Vaughan, Carolyn.   An Architectural History of Meredith College.   Raleigh: Self Published, [1983?]

Camp-Polk State's Prison Farm, Raleigh, N.C.   Map.   State of North Carolina Department of Administration, State Property Office. 1938.

Map of the City of Raleigh. Raleigh Department of Public Works. 1942, rev. 1945.

Subdivision of Meredith College Lands on South Side of Highway.   Map.   Wake County Registry.   Book 1946. 42.

City of Raleigh.   Map. Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.   1959.

Map.   N.C. State Highway Commission.   1968.

Maps 48, 58, and 59.   Soil Survey, Wake County, North Carolina.   Washington, D.C.; U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1970.

ADC's Street Map of Raleigh, North Carolina. Alexandria, Va.: ADC of Alexandria, 1994.

Map of area around Meredith College.   Wake County Geographic Information Services.   Downloaded from http://www.wakegov.com/county/propertyandmapping/gis.htm>. Sept. 4, 2001.

Tucker Farm

           Most of the land on which Meredith sits was purchased from the estate of a wealthy Wake County landowner named Rufus Sylvester Tucker.   The land was once part of the "Tucker Farm."   Tucker raised Jersey cows, Oxforddown sheep and cotton, and was known as one of the best farmers in the county. [49]   

Tucker was born on April 5, 1829, [50]    and attended Raleigh Academy in his youth. [51]    He attended the University of North Carolina with Gen. Johnston Pettigrew, Senator Mat. W. Ransom, E. Burke Haywood, Judge Victor C. Barringer, and Seaton Gales, graduating in 1848. [52]    He served in the Civil War as quartermaster and commissary of Raleigh, but was eventually given command of an independent regiment of cavalry, the "Wake Rangers." [53]    Both before and after the war, Tucker worked as a clerk in his father's mercantile store, which he inherited after his father's death in 1851. [54]    With the help of his brother, William H. Tucker, the business took off, giving the Tuckers the reputation of not only being wealthy, but also being reliable suppliers.   Rufus Tucker was a director of the North Carolina Railroad Company, the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad, and the Seaboard Air Line System.   The Raleigh National Bank thrived under his direction until he left it to take on the National Bank of New Bern.   For 31 years he was a director of the Institute for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind at Raleigh, where he also served as president for many years.   Tucker was a devout Episcopalian, and was active in Christ Church vestry in Raleigh for 20 years. [55]    Because of his success as a businessman, Tucker owned thousands of acres in Wake and other counties.   On one of his Raleigh lots Tucker built Tucker Hall, Raleigh's first hall for entertainment. [56]    Tucker is also considered to be one of the first historians of Raleigh, compiling Early Times in Raleigh.   He died on August 4, 1894 of a stroke, and his lands remained in his estate until being purchased by Meredith College. [57]

Works Cited

Ashe, Samuel A., Stephan B. Weeks and Charles L. Van Noppen, Eds. "Rufus Sylvester Tucker" Biographical History of North Carolina: From Colonial Times to the Present.   Vol. VII.   Greensboro, N.C.: Charles L. Van Noppen, Publisher,   1908

Carroll, Grady Lee Ernest, Sr.   Major Rufus Sylvester Tucker of Raleigh, North Carolina:            Faithful Public Servant.   Raleigh: Self Published,   1981

Carroll, Grady Lee Ernest, Sr.   They Lived In Raleigh: Some Leading Personalities from 1792 to 1892. Raleigh: Self Published, 1977

"Maj. Rufus Sylvester Tucker"   Cyclopedia of Eminent and Representative Men of the Carolinas of the Nineteenth Century.   Vol. 12. Madison, Wis: Brant and Fuller,   1892

"Maj. Tucker Passes Away."   The News and Observer   August 5, 1894   Raleigh, NC