{"id":9,"featured":1,"modified":"2025-01-29 17:45:49","latitude":32.783645018457633568687015213072299957275390625,"longitude":-79.9375762045383453369140625,"title":"Towell Library","address":null,"thumbnail":"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/square_thumbnails\/3b53f4c4a27088377a3f9569fa23946f.jpg","creator":["Ron Menchaca"],"description":"

The College of Charleston owes it very existence to libraries and books. Established in 1748, the Charleston Library Society helped to lay the foundations for the College by raising funds for the purchase of scientific equipment and professorships for an academy, which eventually became the College. Later, the society\u2019s members formed a majority of the trustees who established the College following its chartering in 1785.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even before the College existed, it had books for a library, thanks to Goose Creek planter John Mackenzie who willed 1,200 volumes to the planned institution in 1771. At the time of his death, Mackenzie owned several plantations, and much of his wealth was generated by the sale of indigo and rice cultivated by enslaved people. A fire destroyed most of the book collection during the Revolutionary War, but many still survive and are part of the library's collection today.<\/span><\/p>\n

The College\u2019s first library was located in what is today called Randolph Hall. But after renovations to that building and the installation of a natural history museum on its third floor in the early 1850s, the library had to be relocated to another space. The College\u2019s collection of books was meager and undistinguished until 1852, when Dr. Lingard A. Frampton donated his private library of 4,000 volumes, prompting the first serious discussion about the need for a dedicated library building.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1854, the South Carolina General Assembly appropriated funds for the construction of a new library. The trustees initially considered building an addition to Randolph Hall, but that plan was later abandoned, and a contract was awarded in January 1855 to Charleston architect George Edward Walker. He built a separate library to the west of and perpendicular to Randolph Hall. An inauguration ceremony for the newly completed library was held in July 1856. Designed in the classic Greek Revival style, the stucco-over-brick structure housed a collection that continued to receive private donations until the Civil War.<\/span><\/p>\n

The library\u2019s collection was temporarily relocated inland during the federal occupation of Charleston (1865-68). At some point during the bombardment of Charleston (1863-65), part of a shell hit the library and \u201cpassed through the roof and through the table\u201d where a professor was sitting. Trustee minutes reported in August 1866 that much of the library collection was still in crates in a train station in Camden, South Carolina. In October 1866, a trustee proposed taking out an insurance policy on the buildings and their contents, but the College\u2019s income had now been greatly reduced; the estate of Elias Horry<\/a>, for example, could not meet Horry\u2019s pledge to pay $500 per year, due to \u201cthe calamities of the war, and Emancipation then followed, resulting in a disastrous reduction of the means of the Estate.\u201d The Horry family donated property to the College in lieu of the cash pledge, and the College persuaded the City of Charleston to pay the insurance premium.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In 1970, the library was named for College of Charleston alumnus Edward Emerson Towell (Class of 1934), who served more than 30 years as a professor, chair of the chemistry department, dean and acting president. Towell Library served as the College\u2019s main library until 1972, when Robert Scott Small Library opened on the west side of the area known today as Cougar Mall. The interior of Towell Library was then renovated to serve as a learning resources center with audio-visual equipment and a language laboratory. The College\u2019s third and current standalone library building, the Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library on Calhoun Street, opened in 2005.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the modern era, Towell Library housed the Office of Admissions from 1987 to 2010, welcoming new students and families during the College\u2019s most significant period of enrollment growth in the 1990s. In fall 2017, the Office of Alumni Affairs relocated to Towell Library, where it houses offices for staff and serves as a welcome center for alumni returning to campus.<\/span><\/p>","sponsor":null,"subtitle":"The College\u2019s first library building ","accessinfo":null,"lede":"Towell Library, dedicated in 1856, served as the College of Charleston\u2019s library until 1972. The building is a National Historic Landmark and is one of three historic structures in the College\u2019s iconic Cistern Yard.","website":null,"related_resources":[],"factoids":[],"files":{"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/fullsize\/3b53f4c4a27088377a3f9569fa23946f.jpg":{"id":43,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"Towell Library Today","thumbnail":"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/square_thumbnails\/3b53f4c4a27088377a3f9569fa23946f.jpg","description":"Towell Library, dedicated in 1856, served as the College of Charleston\u2019s library until 1972. The building is a National Historic Landmark and is one of three historic structures in the College\u2019s iconic Cistern Yard. The building is named for alumnus Edward Emerson Towell (Class of 1934), who served as a professor, chair of the chemistry department, dean and acting president. Courtesy of the College of Charleston."},"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/fullsize\/9f90ee4860cf506d71ea999eb585c4e5.jpg":{"id":148,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"Volume of John Mackenzie","thumbnail":"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/square_thumbnails\/9f90ee4860cf506d71ea999eb585c4e5.jpg","description":"Even before the College existed, it had books for a library. Goose Creek planter John Mackenzie willed 1,200 volumes to the planned institution upon his death in 1771. Mackenzie owned several plantations, and much of his wealth was generated by the sale of indigo and rice cultivated by enslaved people. A fire destroyed most of the book collection during the Revolutionary War, but many volumes (including one pictured here) still survive and are part of the library\u2019s collection today. Courtesy of College of Charleston Libraries, Special Collections."},"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/fullsize\/3344f8185965fbe9745b820885b6b935.jpg":{"id":135,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"Inauguration of the College's Library","thumbnail":"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/square_thumbnails\/3344f8185965fbe9745b820885b6b935.jpg","description":"A newspaper clipping from July 1856 about the inauguration of the College\u2019s new library building being rescheduled due to inclement weather. The ceremony began next door in the chapel of what was then called Main Building (later Randolph Hall). Courtesy of the College of Charleston, Special Collections."},"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/fullsize\/f2666ba6e0f23b01bbf1e7684cfc549e.jpg":{"id":134,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"Lingard Book Plate","thumbnail":"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/square_thumbnails\/f2666ba6e0f23b01bbf1e7684cfc549e.jpg","description":"In 1853, Dr. Lingard A. Frampton donated his valuable private collection of approximately 4,500 volumes to the College. Frampton\u2019s books were marked with book plates such as the one pictured here. This substantial donation played an integral part in obtaining the funds to construct the College\u2019s first separate library building, which was completed in 1856 and later named Towell Library. Courtesy of College of Charleston Libraries, Special Collections."},"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/fullsize\/6f2b9e43390add196a0acbecb4a24430.jpg":{"id":83,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"Modest Beginnings","thumbnail":"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/square_thumbnails\/6f2b9e43390add196a0acbecb4a24430.jpg","description":"Towell Library served as the College of Charleston\u2019s library from 1856 until 1972. In this circa 1920 photograph, it\u2019s clear that the library\u2019s collection is still relatively modest, with space still available on the second floor. The patrons are all men, as women were not admitted to the College until 1918. Courtesy of College of Charleston Libraries, Special Collections."},"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/fullsize\/ac12ed4f923ab1af22ad3e4317237550.jpg":{"id":141,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"Students Studying in Towell","thumbnail":"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/square_thumbnails\/ac12ed4f923ab1af22ad3e4317237550.jpg","description":"This color photograph was likely taken in the 1960s. It shows male and female students studying together on what must have been a cold enough day to warrant coats. Courtesy of College of Charleston Libraries, Special Collections."},"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/fullsize\/2c43e9d85cc5e372a5c3582c2875ddc2.jpg":{"id":140,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"Reading the Day Away","thumbnail":"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/square_thumbnails\/2c43e9d85cc5e372a5c3582c2875ddc2.jpg","description":"This photo, taken in the fall of 1949, shows male and female students studying together while a librarian looks on from the circulation desk. Notice the sign on top of the card catalogue at left advertising a stage production of \u201cThe Cat and the Canary.\u201d Additionally, hanging above the fireplace is a portrait of Lancelot Harris, a beloved English professor. Courtesy of College of Charleston Libraries, Special Collections."},"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/fullsize\/e2c4045fef800211bf7e0fff9516fe72.jpg":{"id":85,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"Hard at Work","thumbnail":"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/square_thumbnails\/e2c4045fef800211bf7e0fff9516fe72.jpg","description":"Towell Library served the College of Charleston from 1856 until 1972. This photo, likely taken in the early 1970s, shows the library full of books in each of the downstairs alcoves and along the walls of the second floor. Notice the patron at the left center who appears to be wearing no shoes. Courtesy of College of Charleston Libraries, Special Collections."},"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/fullsize\/495621f9c7e4414da6c274ac8de7e07e.jpg":{"id":142,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"View from Towell Library","thumbnail":"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/square_thumbnails\/495621f9c7e4414da6c274ac8de7e07e.jpg","description":"This circa 1970s photo of students in Cistern Yard was taken from the second floor inside Towell Library. Courtesy of College of Charleston Libraries, Special Collections."},"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/fullsize\/e15a13f42f62710ce3122cbe90b7568e.jpg":{"id":44,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"Interior of Towell Today","thumbnail":"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/square_thumbnails\/e15a13f42f62710ce3122cbe90b7568e.jpg","description":"Towell Library has not served as the College\u2019s library since 1972, when Robert Scott Small Library opened on campus. Today (as shown here) the building houses the Office of Alumni Affairs and serves as a welcome center for alumni returning to campus. Courtesy of the College of Charleston."},"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/fullsize\/90b35c1d49d2b0a8282e6c0e258fe097.jpg":{"id":136,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","title":"Engraving of the College","thumbnail":"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/square_thumbnails\/90b35c1d49d2b0a8282e6c0e258fe097.jpg","description":"This engraving of the early College, from an 1861 book titled Our Whole Country, or The Past and Present of the United States<\/em>, is believed to be one of the earliest, if not the earliest, known images of Towell Library (at left). Courtesy of College of Charleston Libraries, Special Collections."},"https:\/\/discovering.cofc.edu\/redirect\/files\/original\/399824174b8c7114f0b0ab20115347d6.mp3":{"id":213,"mime-type":"audio\/mpeg","title":"Audio version of this essay","description":"The audio version of this essay was voiced by Joy Vandervort-Cobb, associate professor of theatre at the College of Charleston."}}}