The University of the South

History & Fun Facts

• •The six-ton marble cornerstone, laid on October 10th, 1860, and consecrated by Polk, was blown up in 1863 by Union soldiers; many of the pieces were collected and kept as keepsakes by the soldiers.
• •After the original was vandalized in 1998, a copy by Connie Erickson was unveiled on June 1, 2003.
• •The university's first convocation was held on September 18, 1868, with nine students and four faculty members present.
• •He attended the first Lambeth Conference (1868) in England and received financial support from clergy and laity of the Church of England for rebuilding the school.
• •In June 2006, Sewanee opened its School of Letters, a second graduate school.