'We Are All In Great Distress'
Long before the first shots of the Civil War were lobbed at Fort Sumter, the College of William & Mary faced an uncertain future. The years before the Civil War were not always stable ones for William & Mary. The authors of The College of William & Mary: A History (1993) named their chapter on this time period “From Fiasco to Recovery to Disaster” and referred to the 1850s as a time of “familiar vicissitudes.” The university contended with changes in presidents, resignations and deaths of professors, an end to the chair of law, and the continuing needs for repairs to buildings and fundraising. During this period of changing circumstances, students continued their studies and found time for extracurricular activities: the Phoenix, Philomathean, and Licivyronian literary societies; the resurrection of a Phi Beta Kappa chapter; and publishing the first William & Mary student newspaper, The Owl (1854). Life in Williamsburg continued much as it had for decades.
The 1858-1859 session opened with 47 students. The campus buildings had been extensively repaired and despite the decline in enrollment from the previous year, the future seemed as secure as it ever had for William & Mary. Then, in the early hours of February 8, 1859, the Wren Building went up in flames after a fire began in the north wing and within four hours the building was gutted. President Benjamin S. Ewell was credited as being one of the first on the scene and went to the second floor to wake several students who were living there.
While much was lost - the library, scientific equipment, the original copy of the Transfer of William & Mary to its president and faculty, George Washington’s letter accepting the chancellorship - there was no loss of life and the contents of the Blue Room including the College seal, portraits, and some of the university’s records, were saved. William & Mary’s faculty, students, Visitors, townspeople, and supporters would rally to support and rebuild with their own resources and seeking assistance from others.
Then, the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 forced the closure of William & Mary.
Images of the exhibit are available from Special Collections on Flickr.
Curator: Amy Schindler, University Archivist; Exhibit design and installation: Jennie Davy, Burger Archives Specialist; with installation assistance from Zara Fina Stasi, Undergraduate Student Volunteer, and Lauren Wallace, Graduate Student History Apprentice.
