Wesleyan Hall, constructed in 1856, is one of the oldest structures on the University of North Alabama campus, located in

Florence, Alabama Florence is a city in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the state's northwestern corner. It is situated along the Tennessee River and is home to the University of North Alabama, the oldest college in the st ...

History

With its distinctive towers, Wesleyan Hall also is considered one of the most eminent landmarks in North Alabama. The

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

structure was designed to serve LaGrange College when this Methodist institution relocated from Franklin to Lauderdale county and subsequently was renamed and rechartered as Florence Wesleyan University."UNA Public and Tourist Attractions," Office of University Relations, University of North Alabama
/ref> In 1856, the year the structure was completed, a President's Report showed an enrollment of 180 students. The fledgling university peaked at 225 students in the early 1860s, shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War.Steen, Robert S., "The 175-Year March from the 19th into the 21st," UNA Magazine, Summer, 2005 During the war, Wesleyan Hall was occupied by both Union and Confederate armies. General William Tecumseh Sherman is considered the most famous Union occupant of Wesleyan Hall during the war.Smith, William E., "Leo's Tale: University of North Alabama Trivia, Florence, AL, Shoals Heritage Publishers, 2000. In late 1864, shortly before his ill-fated involvement in the battles of

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

and

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, Confederate General John Bell Hood occupied the building. The surrounding grounds were occupied by his troops and served as a meeting place for military personnel and townspeople for parties, dances and concerts. Confederate Generals

Pierre G.T. Beauregard Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard (May 28, 1818 - February 20, 1893) was a Confederate States of America, Confederate general officer of Louisiana Creole people, Louisiana Creole descent who started the American Civil War by leading the Battle o ...

and

Stephen D. Lee Stephen Dill Lee (September 22, 1833 – May 28, 1908) was an American officer in the Confederate Army, politician and first president of Mississippi State University from 1880 to 1899. He served as lieutenant general of the Confederate ...

also occupied the adjoining grounds during the war and also may have used Wesleyan Hall as their headquarters. Following the war, Dr. Septimus Rice was the University's sole instructor, teaching classes in the Preparatory School and holding college-level courses in Wesleyan Hall. Despite a prolonged effort by the new Wesleyan University president, Dr. William H. Anderson, the institution continued to founder, and in 1871, the doors of Wesleyan Hall were closed. Recognizing the need for trained teachers in the post-war South, the Methodist Episcopal Church turned over Wesleyan Hall and the surrounding grounds to the state of Alabama, which then chartered it as a state normal school. During this period, the halls of Wesleyan remained unheated, so stoves were used to warm classrooms, while coal oil lamps were employed for lighting. Because of the initially small enrollment, the upper floors were used as dormitories. A dilapidated white-washed board fence stood along the perimeter of the Wesleyan grounds to prevent livestock owned by nearby townspeople from wandering onto campus. On the south side of the structure in a similar state of disrepair stood a number of old stables used to quarter horses of local country boys attending the school. A large

cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...

in the rear of the Wesleyan supplied the school's water supply. At the turn of the 20th century, the 45-year-old structure remained the only building owned by the school. The exterior of the building had changed little since its construction in 1856, bearing the same castle-like towers, battlements and top-floor

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

. Likewise, the campus adjoining Wesleyan encompassed only the original . A three-story building finally was added in 1909 to accommodate increased enrollment and became known as Wesleyan Annex.

Today

Part of the University of North Alabama campus, Wesleyan Hall currently contains the departments of Geography, Psychology, and Foreign Languages. It also houses the Geographic Research Center, a cartography lab, and a language lab. The Department of Military Science is located in Wesleyan Annex. Wesleyan also houses personal effects and mementoes of former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice and U.S. Senator

Howell Heflin Howell Thomas Heflin (June 19, 1921 – March 29, 2005) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the United States Senate, representing Alabama, from 1979 to 1997. Early life Heflin was born on June 19, 1921, in Poulan, Georgia. He at ...

, a native of nearby Tuscumbia. The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Wesleyan Bell and Tower

Adjacent to Wesleyan Hall in a specially constructed tower is the Wesleyan Bell, which tolled regularly throughout the last quarter of the 19th century to summon Florence Normal School students to class. Sometime around 1910, the bell was removed from Wesleyan Hall and stored. Rediscovered after the passage of almost a century in 2002, the 130-year-old Wesleyan Bell finally was restored to a prominent place on campus following construction of the Smith Bell Tower in 2004.

Notes

External links

Official website
{{University of North Alabama National Register of Historic Places in Lauderdale County, Alabama University of North Alabama campus Gothic Revival architecture in Alabama University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama University and college buildings completed in 1856 1856 establishments in Alabama