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.