From These Roots

In 1960, the only women’s dorms on campus were White Hall and Wingo Hall. Wingo Hall was built in 1916 and White Hall was built in 1937. There was a concern that neither of the women’s dorms were fireproof and they could easily burn to the ground quickly if a fire broke out. Wingo Hall, especially, was in disrepair and no longer suitable to serve as a dorm. In addition to the buildings’ conditions, overcrowding was becoming an issue. The student population was growing too large for the current dorm space.

The groundbreaking for the new women’s dorm was held on April 28, 1960. Ansel Alwine, the chairman of the board of trustees, shoveled the first bit of ground for the project. The project was estimated to cost $100,000 and the hope was for it to be completed by the Spring 1961 semester. The basic design of the building was drawn up by Dr. Donnan and the labor would be provided by local contracted workers. There would be space for 58 female students, laundry facilities, and a visitors’ lounge on the second floor. The building would be heated by the new heating system in Turner Auditorium and a fallout shelter was constructed in the basement.

The first 56 women moved into the newly completed dorm on February 10, 1961. The last bit of plumbing and electricity was completed that morning. The women who moved into the new dorm had been temporarily staying in Taylor Hall, a former men’s dorm. The dorm rooms were suite-style with two rooms sharing a bathroom in-between. Each room had space for two students.

Several things happened with the new women’s dorm in 1963. First, the building was officially given the name “Simpson Hall” in January. The name was in honor of Leonard K. Simpson who was the eighth principal of North Greenville and served from 1912-1919. You can read more about Dr. Simpson in yesterday’s post. At the plaque dedication on May 18th, Leonard Simpson’s brother, C.H. Simpson, performed the unveiling. Next, men from the Charleston Naval Base came to campus to install official yellow and black fallout shelter signs bearing the civil defense seal. Lastly, a connecting unit was built onto the dorm. On the other side of the connecting unit was another new dorm that would later be named Howard Hall.

In 1993, the Alumni Council issued an appeal in the April 1993 edition of the Alumni News for donations to be made to renovate the lounge areas in Simpson and Howard Halls. The Simpson Lounge was being used at the time by the Baptist Student Union as their meeting room. Through the financial support of alumni and friends and the volunteer work efforts of local churches like Easley First Baptist Church, Blue Ridge Baptist Church, and Taylors First Baptist Church, the lounges were updated with fresh paint, new ceilings, new lighting, new furniture, and decorations. The Simpson Hall co-ed lounge closed in 1999 to construct a staff apartment in the space.

Simpson Hall has housed North Greenville women for 63 years making it the longest-used dorm in campus history.