Tennis Courts

The first tennis courts at William & Mary were located behind the Wren Building. The newspaper for students College Topics (1908-1909) includes references to the desire and need for tennis courts from students and faculty in issues published in fall 1908. As William and Mary's athletic fields migrated further from the Wren Building as the campus expanded, tennis courts for men were later moved to Richmond Road (near Blow Gym and Cary Field) with additional tennis courts also available at Barksdale Field (then known as the women's athletic fields). Improvements to and expansion of tennis courts from the 1920s through the 1950s can be followed in the Flat Hat student newspaper.

After the construction of Adair Hall was completed and as other buildings were constructed abutting Barksdale Field in the 1960s, tennis courts were constructed next to Adair on the site of the present day parking garage and police station. Tennis courts were also built behind William and Mary Hall and tennis matches have been held at William and Mary Hall in the past for special events such as the Wightman Cup. The Busch Courts made their debut in 2001. The McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center indoor facility is also available at the university and tennis courts are located next to the Commons.

Material in the Special Collections Research Center

• The Flat Hat
• The Colonial Echo
• Department of Athletics Records, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, William & Mary.
• Search for references to tennis in the SCRC Collections Database.

Need help?

To search for further material, see Finding Materials in the SCRC for an introduction to the SCRC Collections Database, card catalogs, Flat Hat-William & Mary News-Alumni Gazette index, etc.

Questions? Contact the SCRC at spcoll@wm.edu or 221-3090, or visit the Special Collections Research Center in the Earl Gregg Swem Library at the College of William and Mary (hours).

A Note About The Contents Of This Wiki

Unfortunately, many of the early original records of the College of William and Mary were destroyed by fire, military occupation, and the normal effects of time. The information available here is the best available from known documents and sources at the time it was written. Information in this wiki is not complete as new information continues to be uncovered in the SCRC's collections and elsewhere. Researchers are strongly encouraged to use the SCRC's access tools for their research as the information contained in this wiki is by no means comprehensive.