The Columns

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HISTORY The columns that once supported Academic Hall, the first building constructed on campus, now stand in the middle of the quad as the traditional symbol of the University of Missouri. On January 9, 1892, Academic Hall burned and the six columns remained. In August of 1893, the Board of Curators made a decision to remove the Columns on suspicion of their safety, but that decision was later overturned by local support when the Columns passed inspection. Today, the Columns serve as an icon of the University of Missouri, standing for Mizzou's rich history that this collection seeks to reveal. The Columns sit on Francis Quadrangle, letting students relax between classes.

Thanks to the University of Missouri archives, we were also able to find a bulletin from 1949, detailing the history of the Columns. Feel free to flip through the text to get an even greater picture of Mizzou's development!

References:"Academic Hall." MU in Brick and Mortar. 2006. Accessed February 20, 2017.
http://muarchives.missouri.edu/historic/buildings/AcademicHall/.
"Francis Quadrangle & Columns." MU in Brick and Mortar. 2006. Accessed February 20, 2017.
http://muarchives.missouri.edu/historic/buildings/Quad/.
"History of the University of Missouri". University of Missouri Office of Web Communications. Accessed February 22, 2017.
http://missouri.edu/about/history/history-mu.php.

1892 - Burning of the University of Missouri
The Columns weren't always just columns. Before Jesse Hall was erected, "Academic Hall" stood at the epicenter of campus and its activities. However, in 1892, this building burned down, leaving the six columns., Savitar, 1958. page 13.
1894 - The surviving Columns
A look at the Columns right after "Old" Academic Hall burned down in 1892., Savitar, 1894. page 99.
1920 - Ivy on the Columns
Company A of the University's R.O.T.C takes a picture for the yearbook in front of the Columns. Addition the 1920 copy of the Savitar., Savitar, 1920. page 289.
1938 - Treatment of the Columns
In order to preserve the Columns, the University treated the columns to protect them from weather. During the summer of 1938, the Columns were also stripped of their ivy because it damaged the stone., Savitar, 1994. page 68.
2003 - Tiger Walk at the Columns
The University holds the annual Tiger Walk event. Every year before school starts, freshmen symbolize their integration into the University through walking through the Columns., Savitar, 2003. page 22.
The Columns (Text)