47. AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE,
W. College Ave., Decatur, one of the most highly rated Southern
colleges for women, is housed in more than 30 buildings on a
well-wooded campus. In accordance with the tradition of school
architecture of the 1890's, the older buildings are substantial
red-brick structures with broad white-banistered porches. The newer
buildings follow the more modern Collegiate Gothic trend of brick
construction with limestone trim. The library, costing $230,000, is
notable for its modern facilities, which include cubicles for
individual research, a room for art exhibitions, a projection room for
motion pictures, and a terrace equipped with weather-proof furniture
and gayly colored umbrellas for outdoor study. Presser Hall, completed
in 1940 at a cost of $285,000, is used for instruction in music, and
has a well-equipped auditorium and a chapel that may be used both for
religious services and dramatic performances.
The school was established as the Decatur Female Seminary by members of
the Decatur Presbyterian Church, with their pastor, Dr. F.H. Gaines, as
its head. In order to finance the undertaking, the trustees had
provided in the charter for selling shares at $50 par value to raise a
minimum capital of $5,000, and the stock was quickly subscribed.
Classes met for the first time on September 24, 1889, in an old rented
residence, the work covering only elementary and grammar school grades.
The first enrollment numbered 60 day students and 3 boarders.
The following year Colonel George F. Scott, a wealthy manufacturer
who had bought $2,000 worth of the capital stock, offered to erect a
building provided the school should bear the name of his mother, and
the name was changed by charter amendment to Agnes Scott Institute.
This building, equipped with all the latest conveniences and completely
furnished, cost $82,000 and attracted wide attention because it
represented the largest individual gift that had been made in Georgia
for the cause of education. Later Scott bought all the outstanding
stock and cancelled it. At the time of his death in 1903, his
contributions to the institution totaled $175,000.
In 1906 the first college degrees were conferred and the preparatory
school was given the name of Agnes Scott Academy. In 1913 the academy
was discontinued and Agnes Scott became an institution solely for
college work. In 1920 the Association of American Universities rendered
recognition, and in 1921 graduates became eligible to the Association
of Collegiate Alumnae. The college was invited in 1922 to make
application for membership to Phi Beta Kappa and received the Beta
Chapter of this honorary fraternity.
Liberal endowments were made from time to time by the Carnegie
Foundation, the General Education Board, and various well-known
philanthropic organizations, and total assets and endowments are now
valued at more than $3,500,000. Although the school is not under
ecclesiastical control, the charter provides that only members of the
Presbyterian Church are eligible for election to the self-perpetuating
board of trustees. From the first enrollment of 63 the student body has
now increased to approximately 500, while the early elementary studies
have been replaced by excellently conducted courses in the liberal
arts. The four student publications are popular, and Agnes Scott is
widely known for the performances of its Blackfriars Dramatic Club and
also its glee club, which in 1940 combined with the Emory Glee Club to
render a highly successful presentation of the Gilbert and Sullivan
opera Iolanthe. A large number of Atlanta and Decatur people
attend lectures by famous writers and commentators that are given at
frequent intervals in the Agnes Scott auditorium. Athletic activities
among the students include golf, swimming, and archery.
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