“A Welcoming Front Porch”
Winthrop University’s story begins in the late 19th century with 21 students in a borrowed, one-room carriage house in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. It was the vision of Columbia’s Superintendent of Schools at the time, David Bancroft Johnson, who recognized a lack of professionally trained schoolteachers in his state. He believed a teacher training school was the answer, and brought that proposal to Robert C. Winthrop, a Massachusetts philanthropist and Chair of the Peabody Fund. The stars aligned with Winthrop sharing Johnson’s vision and securing the $1,500 needed to open the Winthrop Training School in 1886 with Johnson as founding president.
Under his guidance, the school grew into a women’s college and received state funding, moving to its permanent home on a large, picturesque campus in Rock Hill, South Carolina, in 1895. The college expanded its mission over time, becoming coeducational in 1974 and gaining university status in 1992. Today, it is a comprehensive higher education institution with nearly 6,000 students.
Museum-quality exhibits in the university’s new Morgan-Holcombe Alumni Center at the Stewart House chronicle the university’s rich history, to the delight of those who lived some of its stories as well as those who are just discovering them—starting at the entrance hall in the house.
In a letter dated Sept. 13, 1886, Johnson wrote to his mother that the $1,500 needed to establish a teaching school for women had come through. That letter was made into custom wallpaper for the hallway and serves as the backdrop for the exhibit on the university’s first year, which includes a framed copy of the letter in its entirety.
Dedicated in June 2024, the alumni center has become a hub for the entire Winthrop community, including alumni, students, and prospective students—allowing them to look back while also looking to the future.
A House With Its Own History
Like the university itself, the Stewart House has a story steeped in history. It was built in 1895 by Captain W.H. Stewart of Fort Mill, South Carolina, a prosperous farmer and member of the State House of Representatives. The university purchased the home upon Stewart’s death in 1912 for $10,000. Known in those days as the Practice House, the structure was used by Winthrop seniors to gain experience living independently and managing a “typical rural Southern home,” including housekeeping, cooking, gardening, poultry-raising, and beekeeping. As times changed, the International Center, Admissions Office and Visitors Center, the S.C. Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement, and other offices called Stewart House home.
The latest chapter in its story, how it evolved into a campus crown jewel, begins, not surprisingly, with a dedicated donor. In 2007, Winthrop had several proposed construction projects on campus, including a new alumni center. For years, the alumni center was housed in a third-floor office in Tillman Hall, the campus’s first permanent building.
The architectural renderings of the proposed alumni center were shared with alumna Betty Holcombe (Class of 1956) and her husband, Milton. Avid supporters of public higher education in South Carolina, the Holcombes have served in leadership capacities at both Winthrop and Clemson University, Milton Holcombe’s alma mater.
At that time, the estimated cost of new construction for the proposed alumni center was $4.5 million, which included naming opportunities associated with the project. The Holcombes made a lead gift of $1 million to name the alumni center, with the need for additional donations to fully fund a standalone center. That would prove to be slow going, and over the years, several leadership transitions at Winthrop further stopped momentum on the fundraising, but ultimately led to a reimagined project.
Current President Edward Serna prioritized the alumni center when he arrived in 2022, and that same year, the Winthrop Board of Trustees approved a plan identifying the Stewart House as the home of the Morgan-Holcombe Alumni Center. Renovating the Stewart House instead of constructing a new building would be more economical and give the historic home a new purpose. Serna said at the time that the decision would return to a concept the donors supported years ago and recently endorsed once again.
“The Stewart House is a visible, historic, major campus asset for Winthrop, and it provides easier access for all alumni and donors and offers additional naming opportunities. Opening the center also will honor a gift obligation to [Holcombe and her husband],” he said.
With renovations completed in 2023, the Alumni Association and Winthrop Foundation staff moved into the Stewart House, and the transformation into an historical alumni center began.
How It All Came Together
Bringing the center to life with creativity and historical accuracy became a joint effort of the alumni and archives teams. The Alumni Association and Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections often work closely to ensure historical accuracy on events and historical exhibits. Although the archives team has a small space to host exhibits, the facility is set up as more of a research repository. Given the archives’ space limitations, the Morgan-Holcombe Alumni Center was a great opportunity to allow alumni and the community to view historical items that were typically hidden away.
The two teams worked together to identify and prioritize which historical moments would be featured and which existing historical pieces (like photos and artifacts) could be appropriately displayed in the new center. For example, a hand-carved ceremonial chair used by Johnson had previously been displayed at the center, but staff found other new items, such as a silver tea set from the 1960s and candelabras that were gifts to the university from the Class of 1953. Archives staff agreed these items needed to be displayed in the alumni center to share with the Winthrop community more broadly.
All the photos in the Morgan-Holcombe Alumni Center are scanned copies of originals that remain intact at the Archives.
The center featured sections dedicated to pivotal moments in Winthrop’s history. Some highlights include:
- The original Tillman Hall chimes console, which hundreds of students through the years played on the hour to signify the time to the campus community;
- A hand-carved ceremonial chair used by Johnson at academic functions;
- A collection of The Tatler, Winthrop’s former yearbook;
- A small-scale reproduction of the navy-and-white uniforms Winthrop students were required to wear until 1955;
- An array of tableware and serving sets used by students in the former dining hall; and
- A dedicated library of books by alumni authors.
Multiple interior walls of the house feature photos of and context for notable events, such as a chronology of the institution’s first year; the move to integration in 1964 and Winthrop’s subsequent Black history; and the 20-year journey to coeducation, achieved in 1974.
To bring it all together with creative flair, a local designer, Sarah Mickney, was hired to manage the historical installations. She turned to The Garnet & Gold Book for inspiration. The Alumni Association annually prints and distributes the softcover book, which shares history, traditions, and fun facts with incoming students.
She strived to marry the alumni center’s contemporary modern aesthetic with antiques and the history, as well as incorporate eclectic and transitional vibes.
“Merging those two things was obvious because of the age and style of the home. Bringing in a modern, updated feel was essential to not only honor the history of Winthrop, the house, and what it was used for,” she said, “but also allow alumni and current students the opportunity to come through and feel like they’re at home and experience the timelessness there.”
‘This Is Our Front Porch’
The Stewart House was featured in the city’s Historic Rock Hill’s Tour of Homes in September and will continue to be featured in its annual salute to spring, the Come-See-Me Festival.
The new center is a short distance from the admissions office at the front entrance of campus, making it a convenient stop for prospective students, alumni, and families.
The Alumni Association has begun hosting events at the center, including alumni board receptions. During Senior Week in spring 2023, soon-to-be graduates stopped by the center for professional headshots. The center also hosts events for Winthrop Legacy students, who are recognized on campus as the undergraduate children, grandchildren, or siblings of alumni. And during the fall 2024 Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, alumni will attend the class reunion welcome reception at the new center as well.
Long term, Winthrop sees the alumni center as the central gathering place on campus for alumni and students. While it is not large enough to host some events held by the Alumni Association on campus, it will be featured prominently. For example, the center will serve as the check-in location for larger alumni events; new employees will get a tour of the center during their Welcome to Winthrop orientation each semester; and opportunities are being identified for every Winthrop student to visit the center in order to share its rich history and foster positive feelings that may encourage giving to Winthrop.
The alumni center was officially dedicated this past June. The Holcombes’ twin daughters, Karen and Kathryn Holcombe, attended on behalf of their parents to see their mom’s dream come to fruition.
“This highlights the special place Winthrop holds for its graduates and how their experiences here shaped their future and fostered a lifetime of learning,” Karen Holcombe said. “Both our mother and father came from humble beginnings… Education was the key to their success.”
“This is our front porch,” President Serna told those gathered at the dedication. “We wanted to make a statement that while you were maybe a Winthrop student for four or more years, you are going to be an alumna or alumnus for much longer. Their journey as part of the Winthrop family doesn’t end when they walk across the stage and get that diploma. The Stewart House will welcome home our alumni for years to come.”
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November - December 2024
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