Old Main

Introduction

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Built in 1904, Old Main is the focal point for Lander University, which was established in 1872 as a women's college by Methodist minister Rev. Samuel Lander. Old Main is the oldest building on campus and is significant for its architecture and association with Lander, who developed educational innovations that he implemented at the college. The building is a fine example of Romanesque Revival architecture. Its most prominent feature is the tall square tower which has arched openings at the top level, a pyramidal roof, and corner pilasters that also have small pyramidal roofs. Old Main was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

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Old Main was built in 1904 and is a fine example of Romanesque Revival architecture.

Backstory and Context

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Rev. Samuel Lander founded the university as Williamston Female College in February 1872 in Williamston, South Carolina. One of Lander's innovations was to offer tuition discounts to students if they did well. Another was the introduction of the "one-study plan." The school year was divided into seven, five-week sessions during which only one subject was taught in each. This system allowed students to graduate in three years (Cornell College in Iowa uses this format). Lander also established the first kindergarten in Williamston around 1876. He taught a class at the college where he trained teachers in the methods developed by German educator and pioneer of the concept of the kindergarten, Friedrich Froebel.

In 1898, the South Carolina Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church took over the college. By the early 1900s the college had steadily grown significantly and was in need of a larger space. Greenwood offered the college land and financial incentives to move to the city in 1903 and the college did so in 1904. The college changed its name to Lander College at that time as well. Chattanooga, Tennessee architect Rueben Harrison designed Old Main. Unfortunately, Lander died two months before construction was finished.

In 1943, the college became coeducational, admitting its first male student. Five years later, the Methodist Conference decided to stop supporting the college. Residents created the Lander Foundation to lease the college as a result. The county later acquired the college from the Methodist Conference in 1951. At the time, Lander College was the only four-year college in the country controlled by a county government. In 1973, Lander College became part of the state college system. It became a university in 1992.

Sources

Herd, Ann B. et al. "Old Main." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. August 2, 1984. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/13abd4d9-09fc-475d-99fe-ed5092d1d480.

"The Lander University Story." Lander University. Accessed May 13, 2021. https://www.lander.edu/about/history.