December 1918: Winter Break

Classes and final exams for students at the College of William and Mary in 2008 ended on December 18. In 1918, students had to wait until December 20 to break for the holidays and exams weren't taken until January, perhaps making the season a little less merry for some.

Mary Comes to the College with William is taking a break as well, but never fear, we will return in January when the students returned to campus in 1919 after what was probably a too brief break.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

December 6, 1918: SATC Military Ball

Less than a month after the end of World War I, the Students' Army Training Corps (SATC) at William and Mary disbanded. On December 6, 1918, family, friends, students, and faculty were invited to an open house at the Corps' barracks and then to a parade review and ceremony at the athletic field. The day ended with the SATC Final Military Ball, "commemorating the end of the World War and the victory of the American Armies." The Virginia Gazette referred to the dance as a "celebration of the S.A.T.C. [that] will long be remembered by William and Mary boys, and will will mark a unique period in the history of the old college."

The ball was a major social event on campus, attended by students and faculty of the College, residents of Williamsburg, and out-of-town guests. Taps, a booklet commemorating the experiences and achievements of the William and Mary SATC, described the details of the dance with humor, pride, and nostalgia:

[...] the greatest part of the celebration remained for the evening, when the formal military ball, the principal social affair of the military organization, was held in the Mess Hall. It had been planned a considerable time in advance, and all members of the command attended and brought partners. In addition to the young ladies of the college, many attended from Williamsburg, Richmond, Norfolk, Washington and other cities. Many of the soldiers had their sweethearts from a distance to attend. The whole affair was so well organized and conducted that a more successful one would have been rare indeed. The walls, chandeliers, trimmings, and furnishings of the large hall were lavishly decorated with the national colors in various designs of presentment, all of which was pleasingly illuminated by the brilliant colored lights.

The guests assembled at 8 o’clock, the ladies wearing the latest creations of evening dress and the men all wearing their dress military uniforms. [...]

At 10 o’clock there was an intermission of a few minutes, during which a neat little cap, called the “Liberty Cap” by the guests designed and made especially for the occasion, was issued to each lady present, and was worn by her during the remainder of the evening.

Not the least element in the evening’s jocund entertainment was the bounteous supply of punch and other refreshments. May the reader not inquire what the punch was made of. [...]

The final dance was announced by the bugle call for taps and came to a close exactly at 1:25 o’clock in the morning. The out-of-town guests were entertained by friends at the college and in Williamsburg.

Editions of The Virginia Gazette and Catherine Dennis' scrapbook are available in the Special Collections Research Center. Taps may be viewed online. Of note, page 14 is dedicated to "The Co-Ed" and her influence on the SATC.

This post was composed by Kate Hill.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

November 26, 1918: First Days at William and Mary

One of the first women students to enroll at the College of William and Mary, Martha Barksdale kept a journal during the first year of co-education. What follows is the first entry from her journal.

Nov. 26, 1918.

Today has been so wonderful that I must begin my book here and go back to catch up past events.

Yesterday evening Florence Harris, our beloved first student government president announced her resignation on account of the fact that she was leaving school for family reason[s]. I think she has to take care of her little brothers.

This evening I was elected president of our Student Government with a nomination of fourteen to four. I certainly appreciate the honor, probably the greatest I have ever had. But I dread the responsibility.

After many controversies and much worry this summer, I decided to come to Wm. and Mary, this first year of its coeducation. I do not now regret my choice.

I arrived here on Sept. 19, and came up in an automobile with Ruth Conkey and Celeste Ross. After several days we got straight and had classes one day before we were quarrantined [sic] for Spanish influenza.

This was a good thing for us. None of the girls had it so we used our time in getting well acquainted. We had met none of the boys and the quarantine served to make them want to meet us.

One evening we had a match game of basket ball to cheer Miss Gatling and incidentally ourselves. Celeste and Florence were the capitans [sic]. I played jumping center by boys' rules against Louise Reid and shot the first and only goal thus winning the game for our side. This started my basket ball "rep" here, and I only hope I can keep it at its present glow.

Soon after the quarrantine [sic] the Lieutenants and a few non-coms came over one night. This started our social hour. Since then the boys come over everynight[sic] after supper until call to quarters or on Sat. and Sunday until 10:00. I have met some very nice boys but don't enjoy it much because dancing has been the chief amusement.

One event that has amused me very much and annoyed me at the time was the water throwing affair. Mr. Simmons, Mr. Elliott, and Mr. Lyons are seniors here. They decided to calm some ducks [freshmen] who were singing under their windows so [they] threw out a bag of water. The bag hit the fire escape and drenched the all important Capt.Van Dusen and Lieutenant Taylor. They were furiously angry and stirred up quite a commotion over it. A few days later the whole S.A.T.C. lined up and marched Lyons and Simmons to the depot to ship them. Dr. Clark, Prof. Keeble, and others succeeded in making Capt. Van Dusen have them brought back. The girls were very indignant over this affair, especially Catherine.

On Hallowe'en night we had quite an enjoyable party.

I made there [sic] with John Chappell, the first boy here with whom I've been real friends.

Through John, ("Jack"), I met W. Saunders. I learned not to trust mankind through my intercourse with him. Was it because he did not respect me or just his nature?

In here comes a comical incident which I shall not put down in so public an affair as this book but simply a card to recall an amusing day, the day the armistice was signed.

Two weeks after this date I spent a very pleasant Sunday. Sergeant Day came up to see me, and quite unexpectedly Lewis also. I was glad because Lewis seemed to like Day very well. Lewis spent the night in town.

We went to the M.E. Church that night, and I cut Educ. and French to see him off the next morning.

Another event straggles in along here somewhere - our dancing exhibition. Miss Gatling took great pains to teach us some folk and other dances. We did the folk dances in our regular "gym" out fit [sic] and the fancy dances in Grecian costume. My ballet slipper came untied during the first step of one of the dances and I was miserable for a while but didn't fall over it.

In the "Garland Dance" we had garlands made of ivy off the Library. W. Saunders helped me make mine. We decorated the "gym" with honeysuckle from near the monument.

Lest we forget the first box of candy I received at W&M from Lewis on that memorable Sunday, Nov. 3, 1918, when I entertained a Sailor and a Soldier. Shall I ever forget the stares Lewis and I got from the S.A.T.C.'s? No, never.

In memory of my first roommate at college - up to this time my last - except for Janet on Special occasion and my beloved "Pal" sometimes.

We had lots of fun in basketball games. The Orange and Black fought many "peppy" battles. The Orange won two out of the three championship games, also the last one before X-mas. Keep the good work up Orange!

Soon after peace was made the S.A.T.C. began to talk of disbanding. They planned a big dance in the dining Hall here for the last night. I not being a dancer and not being popular was left out.

A number of girls from all over the state came. One Annette Pruden roomed with Ruth Harris across the hall from me. She seemed to be very nice.

She was in my room when Janet hid in the closet then came out looking so cheap. She heard us planning the party at Janet's.

--From the diary of Martha Barksdale available in the Special Collections Research Center.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

November 23, 1918: From the Diary of Martha Barksdale

Student Martha Barksdale recounted the dance recital on this date in her diary entry of November 26.





For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

November 23, 1918: Dance Recital

Unlike many of the classes at the College of William and Mary in 1918, physical education was not coeducational. Activities such as basketball and tennis were popular in the women's class, as well as "aesthetic dancing." Female students learned themed dances during class and later presented them to an audience - fully costumed. On November 23, 1918, The Colonial Echo noted that the women students "entertain[ed] with choral dances, Spanish and Russian specialties. The audience remained throughout."

These photos from the day are from Catherine Dennis' scrapbook.

Catherine Dennis, in Italian Dance costume

Marceline Galting, women's physical education instructor, in costume

Women's gymnasium class in costume

top row, left-right: Margaret Lee, Martha Barksdale, Florence Harris, Louise Reid, Elizabeth Scott, Alice Person, Margaret Bridges, Elizabeth Lee, Edna Reid, Janet Coleman

bottom row, l-r: Ruth Conkey, Margaret Thornton, Hope Baines, Evelyn Palmer

Editions of The Colonial Echo and Catherine Dennis' scrapbook are available in the Special Collections Research Center.

This post was composed by Kate Hill.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

November 11, 1918: End of World War I

On November 11, 1918, Germany signed an armistice that effectively ended World War I. Little is known about how students at the College of William and Mary marked the event from the personal papers of students in the Special Collections Research Center. A calendar of events in The Colonial Echo yearbook from 1919 only states, "Peace declared, and a celebration at the gym." However, the day was recalled differently by the members of the Students' Army Training Corps (SATC). The SATC booklet "Taps" described the moment the news came that war was over:

The sun had long since set behind the western hills and all the world was hushed. The silence seemed to foretell of some momentous event. The atmosphere, even in the deadly silence, seemed to ring with excitement. Suddenly there burst forth a blasting of horns, blowing of whistles, ringing of bells, firing of guns, beating of drums, and on every hand torches leaped into flame.

A makeshift parade full of joy and national symbolism reportedly then marched through the streets of Williamsburg, culminating in a bonfire on campus.

The end of the war meant more changes were on the way for William and Mary. The SATC would soon disband and the campus would have to cope with the outcome of the conflict along with the rest of the country.

Editions of The Colonial Echo are available in the Special Collections Research Center and Swem Library. Taps may be viewed online. Of note, page 14 is dedicated to "The Co-Ed" and her influence on the SATC.

This post was composed by Kate Hill.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

November 3, 1918: From the Diary of Martha Barksdale

Student Martha Barksdale recounted receiving her first box of candy and her visit from a soldier and a sailor while at the College of William and Mary on this date in her diary entry of November 26.




For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

October 31, 1918: From the Diary of Martha Barksdale

Student Martha Barksdale recounted "quite an enjoyable party" on this date in her diary entry of November 26.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

Sports at William and Mary

It is the start of the 2008 Homecoming week at the College William and Mary. Ideally, this post would detail homecoming at the College in 1918, focusing on student activities leading up to an exciting football game. However, little information is available on the football season in 1918 and Homecoming was not marked at the College until 1926. With the demands of the Students' Army Training Corps, scarce equipment, and no head coach, the success of the football team suffered. The Colonial Echo yearbook of 1919 was understated in describing the season as "incomplete and rather unsuccessful."

Despite the lackluster performance of the football team, athletics played an important role on campus, and sports like basketball and baseball regained popularity after the end of World War I. Janet Coleman Kimbrough remembered the strong level of school spirit among the students in her oral history interview in the 1970s:

It was a period when college spirit was very strong. There wasn't any question about supporting your team; you just naturally did. We used to have rallies, (so-called), just before the big games of the season, and part of the initiation of the ducs [underclassmen] was that they were required to learn certain cheers. We didn't have girl cheerleaders at all. I don't remember even considering them. The cheerleader would have a megaphone and would direct the cheering, but there wasn't any special costume or special activity on the part of the cheerleader; he was just to see that everybody made noise.

Basketball was especially popular on campus. Women students played among themselves, separated into the "Orange" (sometimes called "Yellow") and "Black" teams. Student Martha Barksdale was widely recognized as one of the best players, and even admitted to letting the other team win once in a while to keep them interested in playing. They also participated in "aesthetic dancing," drilling (during the war), tennis, and swimming.

Members of the "Orange" team (top): Martha Barksdale, Catherine Dennis, Alice Person, Ruth Harris, Edna Reid, Celeste Ross. Members of the "Black" team (bottom): Elizabeth Scott, Margaret Thornton, Mary Haile, Margaret Bridges, Janet Coleman, Louise Reid, Alice Burke. From The Colonial Echo.

How male students might have supported women's basketball is unclear, but everyone seems to have cheered on the men's basketball team. According to Barksdale, students would ring the bells on campus after the men won a game, then gather for a celebratory bonfire and rally either on campus or on Duke of Gloucester Street. The police monitored these celebrations, occasionally arresting students for being too loud or for making the bonfire too large.

As part of Homecoming festivities, check out The Wham Bam Big Band performing at Swem Library on Friday October 24th at 3:30pm in conjunction with the exhibit "Ringing Far and Near: Student Music and Song at the College of William and Mary." Other events in Swem Library include: tours of the library this Friday and Saturday at 1:30, 2, 3:30, and 4pm; tours of the Media Center on Friday from 3-4:30pm; and Ben & Jerry's ice cream from 3:30-4:30pm.

Mary Comes to the College with William encourages students, alumni, and other visitors to enjoy Homecoming and celebrate responsibly (please, no bonfires).

Editions of The Colonial Echo are available in the Special Collections Research Center and Swem Library. An excerpt of the transcription of Kimbrough's interview is available online and the complete transcription is available from the University Archives Oral History Collection in the Special Collections Research Center.

This post was composed by Kate Hill.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

Rules for Women

The College of William and Mary's Dean of Women, Dr. Caroline Tupper, was quick to create and enforce rules for the College's new students. One of the first women, Janet Coleman Kimbrough, was asked about those rules during an interview in the 1970s for the College's oral history project. A list of those rules as recalled by Kimbrough:

-After dinner, the women had to stay in their dormitory, Tyler Hall (the present-day Reves Center), until all lights went out at midnight.

-While in their dorm, the women had a mandatory study hall from 8pm-10pm. During this time, they were not supposed to leave their rooms and they had to be quiet.

-At 10pm, the women were allowed to wander between rooms and talk.

-At 10:30pm, all women students were required to go to bed, unless they got special permission to stay up and study until midnight.

-If a woman received special permission to stay up until midnight, she had to study in a different room than her own, so she would not disturb others.

Kimbrough recalled that Dr. Tupper was "constantly trying to avoid making hard and fast rules," and was more interested in "establish[ing] a 'tradition'" for future women at the College.

While these rules may seem restrictive, the women found ways to enjoy themselves. Kimbrough describes a "social hour" the women created between the end of dinner and before the start of the 8pm study hall. During this time, she explained that "someone would play the piano, and they would roll back the rugs and dance."

Tyler Hall, 1919. From Catherine Dennis' scrapbook.

Regulations for student behavior from the 19th century to the mid-20th century are available in the Student Rules Collection in the Special Collections Research Center. An excerpt of the transcription of Kimbrough's interview is available online and the complete transcription is available from the University Archives Oral History Collection in the Special Collections Research Center. Catherine Dennis' scrapbook is also available in the Special Collections Research Center.

This post was composed by Jordan Ecker.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

A Step Away from 1918-1919: Barksdale Field

On October 10, 1975, the field located adjacent to Phi Beta Kappa Hall and William Barton Rogers Hall, at the corner of Jamestown Road and Landrum Drive on the College of William and Mary campus was renamed to honor a member of the first class of women students and long-time Physical Education Professor, Martha Barksdale. Barksdale Field has evolved into a venue for intramural football and soccer by students.


For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

Student Groups for Women, 1918-1919

Participating in campus activities was a challenge for the first class of women at the College of William and Mary. Women were not allowed in most of the activities or clubs that played a large role in campus life. Fraternities, literary societies, athletic teams, and the student newspaper, The Flat Hat, were closed to female membership. In its first year, coeducation was not expected to extend much further than the classroom.

Prohibited from joining many of the established campus organizations, women created their own groups in which they could participate and socialize. The Women's Student Council, initially presided over by Florence Harris and later by Martha Barksdale, was one such group. According to The Colonial Echo, "the purpose of the organization is to represent and to further the best interests of the women student body, to regulate the conduct of the women under authority of the college, and to promote responsibility, loyalty, and self-control."

The Alpha Club was a multi-faceted organization. Headed by Celeste Ross its first year, the group sought to "develop departments of Music, Dramatics, Literary Activities, and other interests, all united in name and general purpose in the original Club."

Members of the Alpha Club. From The Colonial Echo.

More mysterious is a group called the "P.P." Club. Catherine Dennis' scrapbook contains several photos of the club's officers (she was vice president; Alice Burke was president and Martha Barksdale served as secretary), but no mention of its purpose or interest. The club may not have been an official organization as it does not appear in the yearbook, either. The "P.P." Club: (l-r) Martha Barksdale, Alice Burke, Catherine Dennis. From Catherine Dennis' scrapbook.

Still, men and women were not completely separated in their activities. Ruth Conkey was an assistant editor on The Colonial Echo for 1919, both sexes were encouraged to participate in the "Cercle Francais" French club, and everyone could attend events such as the literary society debates, films, dances, and sporting events. Full integration into campus life would take time, but the first class of women made a good start of it.

The Flat Hat is available online; editions of The Colonial Echo and Catherine Dennis' scrapbook are available in the Special Collections Research Center.

This post was composed by Kate Hill.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

October 1918: Changes in Williamsburg

That women were now enrolled and attending classes at the College of William and Mary was not perhaps the greatest change affecting Williamsburg in the fall of 1918. World War I introduced new training facilities and industry to the area. Through the Students' Army Training Corps (SATC) based at William and Mary, male students could enlist in the military and still attend college with government-paid tuition. The Corps became such a central feature on campus that it became common for an Army bugle to signal the end of classes. In an interview Y.O. Kent, a member of the SATC, recalled marching and drilling around campus, as well as guarding an aircraft landing strip "outside town in the middle of winter." Meanwhile, Williamsburg itself was in the process of moderninizing its infrastructure to cope with the demands of the war. And all over the country, traditional ideas and morals were being challenged by new opinions and behavior.

Janet Coleman Kimbrough, Williamsburg resident as well as a member of the College's first class of women, later detailed a number of physcial and social adjustments that occured throughout the town:

We had daylight savings [time]; of course we'd never had [it] before. Automobile traffic was just really getting under way, and the army stimulated that tremendously. There were these military trucks continually coming through town carrying loads of military materials down to the ports and the army camps here. They tore up the road. We had no paved roads, you see, and we had two very bad winters, and they tore up the roads terribly and turned them into just almost an impossible morass -- especially the eastern end of Duke of Gloucester Street. You really couldn't get across it. You had to walk sometimes three or four blocks up the street before you could go from one side to another because of this deep mud. I remember stepping in and losing my shoe in it; there was no hope of finding it; it was way down in the mud. To complicate matters still further, the town decided to put in water and sewage -- or had decided just ahead of all this -- and they dug the street up to put in sewer pipes, and that made it that much worse. They began the thing thinking they were going to be able to finish it quickly and then because of the shortage of materials and shortage of labor and so forth, it didn't get finished as quickly as they thought. The result was that the streets were terribly torn up. Of course, the fact that almost every family had some member involved in the armed forces -- there was just so much change at that time that coeducation was a minor matter. Girls' skirts were going up; of course, the flapper and jazz and the type of dancing -- everything was "upsetting the morals and the morality of the young people," and we were coming in for a great deal of criticism. Just everything was changing; the coeducation was just one small item, really.

Janet Coleman Kimbrough (left) with Alice Person, 1919. From Catherine Dennis' scrapbook.

The above oral history excerpts are from interviews with Emily Williams, as part of an oral history project of the College conducted between 1974 and 1976. A longer excerpt of Kimbrough's interview may be found online. Catherine Dennis' scrapbook is available in the Special Collections Research Center. Taps, a booklet commemorating the Students' Army Training Corps, is available for viewing online.

This post was composed by Kate Hill.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

September 25 - October 5, 1918: Quarantine

On September 25, 1918, less than a week into the start of classes at the College of William and Mary, an outbreak of influenza resulted in the quarantine of a group of students living on campus. According to the Williamburg newspaper, The Virginia Gazette, "fifteen or twenty students at William and Mary are under quarantine, being affected with the Spanish grip. Some of them are quite ill but none are in danger. They are usually confined to the rooms for a day or two, but suffer considerably while the malady is at its worst."

Further reports of the influenza epidemic (commonly known as the "Spanish flu") in Williamsburg in the Gazette are sparse, but the October 3 edition of the newspaper did note that the dance hall at the Marx Hotel had closed to help prevent the spread of the disease, and encouraged other businesses in the area to do the same. On campus, classes were cancelled during the quarantine.

Martha Barksdale, one of the first women students, mentioned the quarantine in her diary entry of November 26 and that none of the women in Tyler Hall were ill. New to the dormitory and college life, they used the break from classes to get to know each other, and even play a game of basketball. The quarantine period helped established Tyler as a center for activity for the female students. Although fewer than 14 members of the first group lived in the dorm, the women who lived off-campus in Williamsburg spent much of their free time there. As Janet Coleman Kimbrough described in an interview, "we were tremendously interested in each other [...] We spent a great deal of time discussing clothes and manners and what everybody was doing and whether to use lipstick or not and whether a girl who kissed boy was fast and so forth."

The students afflicted with the disease eventually recovered and the campus quarantine was lifted on October 5. Classes resumed, and the students returned to work.

Partial group photo of the first class of women from Catherine Dennis' scrapbook, dated 1918.

Top row, left-right: Mary Haile, Edna Reid, Catherine Dennis, Florence Black, Margaret Bridges, Lucille Brown
Middle row, l-r: Janet Coleman, Marie Wilkins, Louise Reid, Martha Barksdale, Margaret Lee

Bottom row, l-r: Celeste Ross, Elizabeth Lee, Margaret Thronton, Elizabeth Scott, Alice Person

An excerpt of Janet Coleman Kimbrough's interview is featured in the online exhibit, "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945. Full text of Kimbrough's interview, issues of The Virginia Gazette, and Catherine Dennis' scrapbook are available in the Special Collections Research Center.

This post was composed by Kate Hill.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

September 19, 1918: A New W. & M. Begins Two Hundred Twenty-Sixth Year

The Virginia Gazette for September 19 included two articles about the beginning of the new academic year and the first class of women to enter the College of William and Mary.

In a front page news story, the paper referred to a "new atmosphere" at the opening of the session. The paper went on to say that along with the usual atmosphere surrounding the new semester also came the "gentle women of Virginia to drink at the same fountainhead of learning from whose waters the famous of the land have quaffed. It is a momentous event in the history of this grand old institution, and a strange coincidence that the inception of the military should be smultaneous (sic) with the coming of the women of the land."

This blog has mentioned some effects of World War I here and here, and you will be able to find all future posts on the topic here.

A brief article on The Gazette's editorial page welcomed women to the College and noted that their success and integration was fully anticipated. The paper's words also struck a sympathetic tone noting that the new students would have the cooperation of the paper and town of Williamsburg during the year.








For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

September 19, 1918: From the Diary of Martha Barksdale

Student Martha Barksdale recounted arriving at the College of William and Mary on this date with classmates Ruth Conkey and Celeste Ross in her diary entry of November 26.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

September 19, 1918: Mary Enters with Her Brother William

On this date ninety years ago, women entered the College of William and Mary as students. The women made up around 20% of the total number of students enrolled in the College and almost a third of the freshman class, due in large part to the country's involvement in World War I. These "pioneers," as they were often called, included:

Lilian Hope Baines, Martha Barksdale, Margaret Florence Bridges, Lucille Brown, Janet Coleman, Ruth Taylor Conkey, Catherine Dennis, Mary Haile, Florence Mae Harris, Ruth Harris, Elizabeth Lee, Margaret Lee, Evelyn Palmer, Alice Person, Edna Widgen Reid, Laura Louise Reid, Celeste Ross, Elizabeth Scott, Margaret Thornton, and Marie Wilkins.

This list is from the document "Names of girls at William and Mary, Oct., 8, 1918" from the office of Herbert L. Bridges. Bridges served as Registrar and Secretary of the Faculty from 1907 until 1928 and held several other positions at the College as well during his tenure from 1881 through 1933. Click image to enlarge.

Other lists also include Alice Burke, Winifred Goodwin, Emily Hall, and Alice Powers as part of the first class of women. President Lyon G. Tyler would later refer to these women in a letter to Catherine Dennis as the "noble band of girls who broke the ice at William and Mary, and led the way in the emancipation of their sex." Still, as of September, 19, 1918, they were also just the latest in a long line of new students to College - facing the challenges of classes and a new social environment.

The women may or may not have know it then, but this was just the beginning of a year full of change at William and Mary.


A copy of the Strode Bill that allowed women to attend William and Mary from the records of President Lyon G. Tyler. Click image to enlarge.







This post was composed by Jordan Ecker and Kate Hill.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

August 24, 1918: Home Economics becomes a College Subject

As William and Mary was becoming co-ed, the institution probably realized that they needed at least one "appropriate" subject for their new female students to take. This was achieved with the addition of Home Economics to the Courses of Study before the start of the fall semester. On August 24, 1918, future President of the College, Julian Alvin Carroll Chandler, wrote to President Tyler to express that his committee had "decided favorably on home economics for William and Mary." Chandler also expressed his hope that it would be a "real satisfactory college department."

While to the modern reader Home Economics sounds like a fluff subject, in 1918 it was not intended to be. According to the 1918-1919 Course Catalog, the department was "intended primarily for the training of teachers of Home Economics," but "open to all women of the college, and to others who may desire to elect them."

The Home Economics major included classes in the more "traditional" women's work, such as sewing and cooking, but it also included Math, English, and even Organic Chemistry. This department prepared women to become not only educated in the liberal arts, but also prepared them for a career. It provided them with an option that not a lot of women had: respectable employment. Through this department, some women at the college probably realized that they had choices about the direction of their lives and their futures.

This post was composed by Jordan Ecker.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

August 12, 1918: The Governor Weighs in on Co-Education

On August 12, 1918, Virginia's Governor, Westmoreland Davis, wrote to President Lyon G. Tyler, and voiced his opinion on the College's preparations for the women students who were arriving on campus in a little more than a month.


There were many issues that Davis could have had with William and Mary's co-education, such as not enough class offerings or faculty to accommodate the new students, or the fact that these women would be housed on campus. However, Davis had another concern that needed Tyler's immediate attention: the showers in the Tyler Hall bathrooms.

Davis explains that Tyler was "disregarding, at a good deal of expense, shower baths and replacing them with tubs," and that he should have been brought the matter before the State Health Department before doing so because "they [did] involve an outlay of the State's money."

Well, there are two ways to view this letter. First, if Governor Davis had the time to complain to President Tyler about the College's bathing options, then that means that the Governor had no other issues with women being present on William and Mary's campus. The other interpretation would be that Davis had such an issue with it that he was trying to find any reason why these women should not be at the College. I prefer the more positive option. Besides, if the Governor really had an issue with co-education, I think Davis would be able to find other things to complain to Tyler about, not the showers!

This letter is available in the folder "World War I" in the University Archives Subject File Collection.

This post was composed by Jordan Ecker.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

August 10, 1918: The College Continues to Confront the Effects of World War I

The College of William and Mary did not decide on a whim to admit women. While the College was busily preparing for the first co-ed incoming class, there was a war raging across the Atlantic in Europe.

World War I had begun four years earlier, and the United States joined the previous year, 1917. In the summer of 1918, the country was unsure of how long the war would continue, and had to prepare for the worst. The College's admissions were probably dropping as prospective and returning William and Mary students were being shipped off to the European front, and something had to be done to try to raise or at least maintain enrollment at the small institution.

On August 10, 1918, previous male students of the College received a letter from the registrar H.L. Bridges urging them to return to William and Mary. The registrar stated that he understood that "there seems to be some doubt in the minds of students as to what they should do next session," but urged them to enroll for the fall semester. Why would the registrar be urging possibly needed soldiers to stay on the homefront? The registrar's letter went onto explain that "provision is being made to train all college students while they are doing their regular [college] work....The War Department wants you in college next year."

Instead of shutting down the educational opportunities for the men who had not been drafted, and possibly saving small colleges, such as William and Mary from closing their doors, the United States government wanted to keep their prospective soldiers prepared for possible deployment as well as educated.

The registrar may have also been pushing this new option on returning male students to possibly offset the effect of women coming on campus. If women did not make up a significant percentage of the incoming class, than their influence in the fall would be limited or not even felt. Also, co-education was still an untried experiment. If the experiment did not work out, and the war continued for multiple years, then the College might have been in an enrollment bind from which it could not free itself.

However, none of the worst case scenarios came to pass. World War I ended in November 1918, and co-education at the College was successful. But, it is interesting to see how people were reacting to and preparing for the unforeseen continuation of World War I.

The letter cited in this post is available in the folder "World War I" in the University Archives Subject File Collection in the Special Collections Research Center.

This post was composed by Jordan Ecker.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

July 1918: The New Dean of Women

Sometime during the summer months of 1918, President Lyon G. Tyler chose Caroline Tupper to be the first Dean of Women at the College of William and Mary. Unfortunately, there is not a great deal of information known about Dean Tupper. What is known has come from Laura Parrish's thesis. Parrish uncovered that Tupper was from Charleston, South Carolina and received her BA, MA, and Ph.D. in English from Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Prior to coming to the College, the thesis explains that Tupper "had previously taught high school and college English. She was in Virginia in 1918 working as a housing and employment secretary, helping wives of servicemen find homes and jobs near their husbands' military camps."

Tyler explained in a June 4, 1918 letter to Dr. Walter Montgomery that he wanted a woman who "the young ladies might look for example" to be the Dean of Women, and it appears that Tupper fit that description. From the recollections of Janet Coleman Kimbrough, one of those first women students, it appears that Tupper "was quite liberal for the period," who wanted the women to do things through "tradition" rather than create rules. Tupper's liberalness was fine under the Tyler administration, but when President Julian Alvin Carroll Chandler became president in 1919, it was less acceptable. It appears from the student recollections that halfway through the 1919-1920 school year, Tupper resigned from the College of William and Mary.

Though Tupper was not the Dean of Women for very long, she made an impact during the first year of co-education. From what little information there is about Tupper, it appears as though she was a forward thinker who refused to create and enforce rules for women just because they were women.

Information about Tupper in the Special Collections Research Center includes photographs, collected information in the University Archives Faculty-Alumni File Collection, and the memories of Janet Coleman Kimbrough in the University Archives Oral History Collection. For more information on Caroline Tupper, you may wish to contact Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute for Advance Study's Schlesinger Library, which currently holds the former Radcliffe College archives.

This post was composed by Jordan Ecker.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

June 25, 1918: A Visitor Protests and Preparing for the Marys

At the June 25th meeting of the Board of Visitors, member Major James New Stubbs "offered a resolution to the effect that the Strode Bill was in direct opposition to the 1906 contract by which the Commonwealth of Virginia had taken full responsibility for the College of William and Mary and that therefore the College should refuse to accept women. The 1906 act had specifically stated that William and Mary was to educate men, and admitting women was a violation of that contract. Stubbs argued that the contract would have to be renegotiated before women could be admitted." (Laura Parrish, When Mary Entered with Her Brother William: Women Students at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945, M.A. thesis)




The Visitors voted six to one against Stubbs' resolution. Stubbs had not been in attendance at the Board's February 12th meeting where members Hughes, Richardson, and Hutcheson voted against a motion of support for the Strode Bill, but within the week Stubbs contacted William and Mary President Lyon Gardiner Tyler in protest to no avail.


After voting down Stubbs' motion, the Board of Visitors moved on to other business including allocating funds to prepare a Women's Department and the salary for a woman to oversee the women's dormitory.

The Board of Visitors approves the compensation of the lady in charge of the women's dormitory.

The section of the 1918-1919 budget with expenses for fitting a Women's Department and compensation for a lady in charge of the women's dormitory.









For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

June 10, 1918: Assembling the Faculty

Routine business at the June 10th meeting of the College of William and Mary's Board of Visitors included the formal election by the BOV of faculty for the 1918-1919 academic year including Miss Caroline F. Tupper as the College's first Dean of Women.

The Boarding House Committee of the BOV made several recommendations at this meeting including hiring a "Lady in charge" in the women's dormitory who would report to the Dean of Women.

Finally, the Finance Committee reported that there was up to $1,000 to spend repairing the dormitory for the women due on campus in September.




For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.

June 4, 1918: President Tyler Makes Plans for the Marys

As the school year was winding down at the College of William and Mary, President Lyon Gardiner Tyler was in the process of adjusting the College for the incoming class of women. On June 4, he wrote a letter to Dr. Walter Montgomery, asking his opinion on a candidate for the new Dean of Womenposition, Eleanor W. Bouldin. In the letter, Tyler asked Montgomery if her "scholarship rank[s] with the professors of the college [because] the Dean of Women is to be given a place in the faculty."

While Bouldin did not become the Dean of Women, this letter shows that President Tyler did not want to offer just any woman the position, but went through the same hiring process that he did for all other positions at the College. He was attempting to find the best candidate for the job to provide the incoming women with the appropriate guidance to help them transition into their new environment.



Letter to Dr. Walter Montgomery from Lyon Gardiner Tyler, dated June 4, 1918, discussing a possible candidate for the new Dean of Women position. Office of the President, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Box 2, Folder "Co-education, 1910-1919." Click on image to enlarge.










This post was composed by Jordan Ecker.

For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.