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| photo from Campus Architecture Project |
Ten miles into my marathon I ran onto the picture perfect campus of Agnes Scott College. The college is actually in Decatur, a peaceful, leafy suburb of Atlanta (with an active Preservation Alliance). The town had set up little rhyming placards all along the marathon route that encouraged runners to keep going and then come back and have fun (and spend $) in Decatur - it was easy to see that it was a town with a sense of humor and an active intellect.
I wasn’t surprised to learn that Agnes Scott was voted the 2nd most beautiful campus in the country by The Princeton Review in 2006 - the 100 acre campus is the epitome of southern charm and apparently boasts some of Georgia’s oldest trees. The school was founded in 1889 as the Decatur Women’s Seminary by Presbyterian minister Frank Gaines (I was surprised that women were even allowed to go to seminary in the 1800s, must investigate that situation). A year later the name was changed to honor Colonel George Washington Scott’s mother. George Scott was a Civil War veteran who gained notoriety by developed a revolutionary fertilizer - but he wasn’t the famous Scott from Scotts Miracle Grow (that was Orlando Scott way back in 1868).
G.W. Scott owned a plantation in Florida where he invented a fertilizer made from cottonseed, bonemeal and sulfuric acid. He was also one of the first to understand the role of phosphates in fertilizer and purchased large tracts of phosphate rich land in Florida. Scott moved to Georgia in the 1870s and expanded his business while buying more real estate.
In 1890 Scott gave $112,000 to the Seminary which was then renamed to honor his mother. The school’s original goal was to “educate women for the betterment of their families and the elevation of their region”. Thankfully the mission has evolved and now strives to “educates women to think deeply, live honorably and engage in the intellectual and social challenges of their times.” We’ve come a long way baby.
When Scott died in 1903 his friend and fellow Presbyterian, Sam Inman stepped in as a member of the Board of Trustees. Inman also invested in real estate and was responsible for creating the first ‘planned’ community outside of Atlanta called, Inman Park (and another gorgeous segment of the marathon). During Inman’s decade of work on the board he contacted Andrew Carnegie about a library for the new school. The funding was granted, as a gift, and The Carnegie Library was constructed in 1910. Sadly, by the 1930s a new larger library was needed (why did they make these buildings so small!) and the college built a new structure, also beautiful, and kept the name of The Carnegie Library. The original library building was re-purposed as a student center.
I was disappointed to learn that the original library was eventually demolished in 1986 (no reason was given). However, the 1930s library has been completely renovated, updated and renamed. It is now the James Ross McCain Library (named after the College’s 2nd President). While I hate to see history erased, I understand the need for new libraries, especially at the college level and this one is historic, handsome and state of the art. Logic aside, I really would have liked to run by Mr. Carnegie’s library gift from back in the day.
G.W. Scott owned a plantation in Florida where he invented a fertilizer made from cottonseed, bonemeal and sulfuric acid. He was also one of the first to understand the role of phosphates in fertilizer and purchased large tracts of phosphate rich land in Florida. Scott moved to Georgia in the 1870s and expanded his business while buying more real estate.
In 1890 Scott gave $112,000 to the Seminary which was then renamed to honor his mother. The school’s original goal was to “educate women for the betterment of their families and the elevation of their region”. Thankfully the mission has evolved and now strives to “educates women to think deeply, live honorably and engage in the intellectual and social challenges of their times.” We’ve come a long way baby.
When Scott died in 1903 his friend and fellow Presbyterian, Sam Inman stepped in as a member of the Board of Trustees. Inman also invested in real estate and was responsible for creating the first ‘planned’ community outside of Atlanta called, Inman Park (and another gorgeous segment of the marathon). During Inman’s decade of work on the board he contacted Andrew Carnegie about a library for the new school. The funding was granted, as a gift, and The Carnegie Library was constructed in 1910. Sadly, by the 1930s a new larger library was needed (why did they make these buildings so small!) and the college built a new structure, also beautiful, and kept the name of The Carnegie Library. The original library building was re-purposed as a student center.
I was disappointed to learn that the original library was eventually demolished in 1986 (no reason was given). However, the 1930s library has been completely renovated, updated and renamed. It is now the James Ross McCain Library (named after the College’s 2nd President). While I hate to see history erased, I understand the need for new libraries, especially at the college level and this one is historic, handsome and state of the art. Logic aside, I really would have liked to run by Mr. Carnegie’s library gift from back in the day.
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