Clemson in Pickens County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Godfrey Hall
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 6, 2021
1. Godfrey Hall Marker (side A)
Built in 1898, Godfrey Hall was constructed to house textile education and was patterned after a cotton mill. Like many early facilities, it was constructed by a predominantly African-American convict labor crew with bricks they made from clay soil. It served as a temporary hospital during a 1918 flu epidemic. When the textile education department moved to Sirrine Hall in 1938, Godfrey became home to the physics department until 1966, and then became the education building. It was renamed in 1971 for W. E. Godfrey, professor of physics from 1919 to 1947, and was added to the National Register of Historic Buildings in 1990.
Godfrey Hall has significance to the Southeastern region for its association with industrial education and the textile industry. Godfrey and Sirrine Halls provide physical reminders of the growth and technological changes in the textile industry in South Carolina from about 1898 to 1940. The basement of Godfrey Hall once served as the dressing room for athletic teams. Since the stairs to the football field behind the building were not in a direct line from the dressing area, it became customary for players to enter by running down the hill, beginning a Clemson tradition that remains today.
1908
Listed on the National Register of Historic
this page online
Erected by Clemson University.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education • Industry & Commerce • Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1898.
Location. 34° 40.846′ N, 82° 50.26′ W. Marker is in Clemson, South Carolina, in Pickens County. It can be reached from Alpha Beta Circle. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 133 Alpha Beta Cir, Clemson SC 29634, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South Carolina’s and pstate, in the Foothills, in the Golden Corner. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Clemson Cannons (a few steps from this marker); Clemson Military Heritage (within shouting distance of this marker); Holtzendorff Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Military Heritage Plaza (within shouting distance of this marker); And Then There Was War (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Integration with Dignity, 1963 (about 400 feet away); Tillman Hall (about 400 feet away); Mell Hall (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Clemson.
Regarding Godfrey Hall. Excerpt from the National Register of Historic Places nomination for Clemson University Historic District I, of which Godfrey Hall is a contributing structure:
Godfrey Hall (1898): This building was the center of textile studyat Clemson from its completion in 1898 until 1941. Originally known as the Textile Building, it was later renamed after W.E. Godfrey, professor of Physics. The college quickly recognized textiles' importance in South Carolina's economy and society and made it an emphasis of its early programs. The industrial architecture of the Textile Building reflects its intended purpose. It was constructed with convict labor, built at an initial cost of $15,000, and when completed it contained the latest machinery, laboratories, and classrooms.Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 6, 20212. Godfrey Hall Marker (side B)
An elevator was added on the second floor when the building was used as a hospital during the influenza epidemic of 1918. The School of Physics moved into the building in 1938 and remained there until 1966; the Calhoun-Clemson High School and Grammar School was housed there temporarily after a fire in 1939. Godfrey Hall has served as a classroom and office building for the College of Education since 1965.
via NPS, unknown
3. Clemson University MPS
National Register of Historic Places Digital Archive on NPGallery website entry
Click for more information.
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Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 6, 2021
4. Godfrey Hall Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 5, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,751 times since then and 140 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on November 8, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3. submitted on January 5, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 4. submitted on November 8, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
