Furman University

Furman University. . , Founded in 1826 in Edgefield, SC, as an academy and theological institution, Furman University was named for Revolutionary War patriot and Baptist minister Richard Furman. It was chartered as a university in 1850, and its first president was his son, James Clement Furman. In 1851 classes began in a two-room frame building, “Old College,” on a bluff above Reedy River Falls in downtown Greenville. In 1854 that building was replaced by Richard Furman Hall, fondly known as “Old Main” to generations of students. An example of Italianate Revival architecture, Old Main featured a distinctive bell tower, which quickly became the school’s symbol. Its bell announced Confederate victories during the Civil War and in later years celebrated “Purple Hurricane” football victories., For more than a century, the all-male university and the Greenville Woman’s College were separate institutions located a mile apart. They were coordinated during the Great Depression, and for twenty-five years students and faculty commuted between the campuses. In 1958, the university moved to the new campus on Poinsett Highway. In 1961, the women joined the men here to create a fully coeducational university. The Old College building was relocated to the new campus from the men’s campus and the “Shack” from the women’s. The symbolic icon of the university, the bell tower, was reconstructed here to honor Furman’s rich heritage.,

Timeline Of Furman Campuses , . Furman Academy and Theological Institution, Edgefield, SC, 1827-1828 , . Furman Theological Institution, High Hills of the Santee, Sumpter County, SC, 1829-1834 , . The Furman Institution Winnsboro, SC, 1837-1850 , . Furman University, West End, Greenville, SC, 1851-1858 , . Greenville Woman’s College (later the Woman’s College of Furman University), 1854-1961 , . Furman University, Poinsett Highway, Greenville, 1958-present