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The Lyceum is an academic building at the
University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...
in
Oxford, Mississippi Oxford is a city and college town in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Oxford lies 75 miles (121 km) south-southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, and is the county seat of Lafayette County. Founded in 1837, it was named after the British city of Oxf ...
. Designed by English architect William Nichols, it was named after named after
Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
's
Lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the th ...
. It purportedly contains the oldest academic bell in the United States. The building served as a hospital for Confederate wounded during the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. Federal forces used the building as their operations headquarters during
Ole Miss riot of 1962 The Ole Miss riot of 1962 (September 30 – October 1, 1962), also known as the Battle of Oxford, was a violent disturbance that occurred at the University of Mississippi—commonly called Ole Miss—in Oxford, Mississippi. Segregationist r ...
. It is a
contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...
of the Lyceum–The Circle Historic District of the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
and a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
.


Construction and architecture

In January 1846, the board of trustees selected architect William Nichols to oversee construction of the university and approved his proposed design for the university's central building, Sansing (1999), p. 41. which he based the design on an Ionic Temple on the Illysis near
Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
. Sansing (1999), p. 53. Construction on the building, named the Lyceum after the classical school established by
Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
, was initiated later that year. Fowler (1941), p. 213. On July 14, 1846, a Masonic ceremony laid down the cornerstone of the Lyceum. Within, a leaden box contained a copy of the law that created the university, a Bible, gold and silver coins, and a copy of the
Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...
. The university's opening ceremony was held in a lecture hall in the Lyceum on November 6, 1848. The Lyceum served as the meeting place for several student societies until the construction of the chapel in 1853. It also served as the meeting place for the board of trustees. The third floor of the Lyceum housed the school's library until 1881 when it was moved to Lafayette Hall. In 1859, Chancellor
Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard (May 5, 1809 – April 27, 1889) was an American academic and educator who served as the 10th President of Columbia University. Born in Sheffield, Massachusetts, he graduated from Yale University in 1828 and serv ...
built a addition to the Lyceum which included a lecture hall and a chemistry laboratory. In 1903, two wings were added to the building. The addition was controversial, with the school magazine writing that it compromised the Lyceum's classical design. Sansing (1999), p. 158. One year later, telephones were installed in the Lyceum. By 1916, the University of Mississippi had an undershortage of dormitories, resulting in students being housed in the basement of the Lyceum. A 1918 government inspection found the Lyceum to be in state of disrepair and deterioration. In 1923, significant structural changes, including the addition of columns to the western entrance, were made to the Lyceum. The campus' center is " The Circle", which consists of eight academic buildings organized around an ovaloid common. The Lyceum was the first building built on the Oxford campus and was expanded with two wings in 1903. The university claims that the Lyceum's bell is the oldest academic bell in the United States. File:Lyceum columns.jpg, Columns File:Olemisslyceum.jpg, Protrusion File:Interior of Lyceum Building - University of Mississippi - Oxford - Mississippi - USA - 02.jpg, Interior room


History


Antebellum and Civil War

converted into a hospital for Confederate wounded. It was evacuated in November 1862 as general
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
's Union forces approached. Although Kansas troops destroyed much of the medical equipment, a lone remaining professor persuaded Grant against burning the campus. After three weeks, Grant and his forces left, and the campus returned to being a Confederate hospital. Throughout the war, over 700 wounded died and were buried on campus. Cohodas (1997), p. 11.


Integration

They converted the university's administration building, the
Lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the th ...
, into their operations headquarters. Local police established barriers to prevent the entry of all except for students and faculty.


Modern history

In 2008, the Lyceum and the surrounding grounds involved in the riot were designated as a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
as the Lyceum–The Circle Historic District. The Lyceum was occupied by student protestors in 2016.


Notes and references


Notes


References and citations


Works cited

* * * {{National Register of Historic Places University of Mississippi Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi National Historic Landmarks in Mississippi University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi William Nichols buildings Neoclassical architecture in Mississippi National Register of Historic Places in Lafayette County, Mississippi