Mountain Day at Mount Holyoke

One of the best college traditions...today is Mountain Day at Mount Holyoke. The college web site indicates the tradition began in "...1838, the year after Mount Holyoke was founded. On Mountain Day, classes and other obligations are cancelled. In a nod to Mary Lyon, students are invited to balance their intellectual pursuits with outdoor activities. The actual date is kept secret until it is announced by the early-morning pealing of the bell in Mary Lyon Hall. Mountain Day typically involves climbing to the Summit House atop Mount Holyoke."

The above image is from Mountain Day in 1903...source: Mount Holyoke Archives & Special Collections, @ASCatMHC.

Davie Poplar, Jr.: UNC Prepares for Upcoming 100th Anniversary

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill published "A 'symbol of the life of the University'" to coincide with the upcoming March 16th commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the planting of Davie Poplar Jr. in McCorkle Place.  It is a tradition to maintain a succession of descendants of the original Davie Poplar which was growing when the university was founded in 1790.   The royal line of trees have been cherished by the University for generations.  The story was written by Kelsey Porter and is accompanied with a short video by Rob Holliday that can be accessed vie YouTube, "Davie Poplar, Jr. Turns 100."  Porter and Holliday are affiliated with University Communications at the institution.

Thanksgiving Traditions on College Campuses

Today's students often assume they will have several days away from classes at Thanksgiving...sometimes, a full week.  My wife reminded me that the private Iowa college she attended didn't have classes on Thanksgiving and academic life resumed with classes on the following day.  I think the institution that I attended held classes until 5:00 pm on the day before Thanksgiving, but didn't expect us back until the following Monday.

Checking a bit, I found an interesting video where an archivist from Mount Holyoke College presents diaries and photographs reflecting Thanksgiving at the institution in the 1850's.

Cottey College Thanksgiving traditions have changed in various ways over time.  Accounts of basketball games between student societies in the early 1900s can be found on the Cotteyphile website.  Field hockey became the focus of student attention by the 1930s.

For a while, there was a tradition of alumnae returning to Cottey on Thanksgiving, though this became "Dad's Day" in 1960.

The emergence of football on college campuses in the late 1800's soon led to scheduling of key contests on Thanksgiving Day.  Images for a couple of examples follow:

The Ames (IA) Historical Society offers an image of a postcard advertising a game in 1908 between Drake University and Iowas State College.

Drury College played a football game with Missouri School of Mines & Metallurgy in 1928.