Trippin' Tuesday: Montgomery, AL

"Enter to grow in wisdom; go forth to apply wisdom in service."  Those words are forever a part of me, and I was introduced to that philosophy a little over 20 years ago at a most wonderful place!

Last week, I shared my fun little visit to Prattville Pickers!  Adjacent to Prattville is Montgomery.  I had to visit my old stomping grounds!  I spent four incredible years in college in Montgomery. 

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This is a magical place!  It was here that I learned so much about myself and my faith as I prepared for my future---and it was also here that I really fell in love with vintage.  The school was built in the 1800s, and the architecture is magnificent!  I will never forget driving down College Street for the first time and seeing this.

This picture does not do this beautiful building justice.  This is Flowers Hall, home to classrooms, administration offices, and the beloved Chapel.  Huntingdon students have many memories of sitting through Western Civ and Old & New Testament Religion classes here as well as Convocations, Mr. & Miss Huntingdon pageants, and maybe even a Mafia Wedding!  The structure was built in the early 1900's in the Collegiate Gothic style and was designed by a former architecture professor at Harvard.  The steeple, gables, arches, and gargoyles are indicative of this style.  Ligon Chapel, at the rear of the building, was modeled after a chapel on the campus of Cambridge.  The college's ties to England don't end there.  The college had previously been named the Tuskegee Female College and the Alabama Conference Female College; the school re-named in 1935 after Selina, the Countess of Huntingdon.  Selina had been influential in the spread of the Wesleyan movement in England.

Ligon Hall was my first home on the Huntingdon Campus.  (My room was the first room on the far left on the second floor. :) )  This is traditionally the home of most of the freshman women on campus.  I loved living here--and some of my dearest friends shared this dorm with me our freshman year!  Oh, it has an EXCELLENT view of the soccer field and was very close to the baseball field and tennis courts, too!  I remember spending lots of time drooling rooting on the various Huntingdon Hawks' athletic teams!!!

 

This was the other female residence hall when I was on campus.  It was a joint residence hall, Pratt-Hanson.  Pratt-Hanson now houses classrooms and some offices, but the Red Lady still maintains her residence in the top far right room.  The Red Lady is one of several reported Huntingdon ghosts.  She is probably the most infamous.  Her story is reported in Huntingdon 's beloved alum, Kathryn Tucker Windham's 13 Alabama Ghosts.    (Several ghosts have been sited in Houghton Memorial Library!)  

The stone work is amazing!

Although the building is no longer a dorm, the sorority chapter rooms have maintained residence on the top floor!  AOII is where my heart is!

This is Wilson Center, where most of my classes were.   I spent many, many, many hours here---and shed a few tears as well, especially in my Econ classes!   As I write on my laptop and check my Ipad for emails, I crack up thinking about the computers we had then.   The server that was housed there was in a room bigger than my bedroom!   We did have an intra email system where we could send emails to each other---but it was very moody and unreliable at best.  It was a BIG DEAL at the time!! 

 

My visit was a great trip down memory lane, and it gave me a chance to plant seeds for a future Hawk.  Robert was with me and said something that was music to my ears!  "Momma, maybe I will go to college here!"  I hope so, sweet boy!  Nothing would make this Momma any prouder than to return to this campus in about 9 years to move in my first born!

I have to give a shout out to some of my favorite places that I may have visited once or twice....  ;)  I can hear a little "Muddy Waters" now....

These 2 were strategically placed to be within walking distance of campus!

 

I hope you enjoyed this walk through the Old Cloverdale area of Montgomery and my beloved Huntingdon College!  If you are interested in the college and need more information, click here and you will be forwarded to Huntingdon's website.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the first installment of WTW (What's Trendy Wednesday) and next Tuesday when we go "Trippin' " in another fun southern city!