Columbia, S.C. – As visitors tour the historic house which sits on one of Columbia’s preeminent 19^th – century four-acre sites, they also can learn about the women who attended college at this home to many people. Historic Columbia Foundation announces the debut of a new period exhibit room in the Hampton-Preston Mansion on Thursday, June 25.

The circa-1915 exhibit celebrates the generation of female students that attended the College for Women and Chicora College on the site from 1890 – 1930. Striking to some South Carolina residents will be the familiarity of the dorm room or campus possibly spoken of by their grandmothers or great-grandmothers.

“We have several student artifacts donated to us by descendants of some of the students who attended the colleges,” says Alexis Thompson, Collections Manager for Historic Columbia Foundation. Some of the exhibit artifacts include a class ring, yearbooks, and apparel.”

The College for Women opened its doors on Blanding Street on October 1, 1890. In 1915, amidst rising financial insecurity, the College for Women chose to merge with Chicora College of Greenville. The college later merged with Charlotte’s Queen College in 1930 after having to abandon plans, due to the Great Depression, to expand the college on 55 acres of land.

Graduates of these colleges were some of the first women of their generation to be awarded four-year college degrees. Not only were these students afforded a college education during a time when many of the leading colleges in the South were exclusively for males, both colleges broke the mold of traditional female curriculums by offering not only traditional and popular classical studies and fine arts, but also coursework in business, science, medicine, and industrial training to prepare their students for careers in the New South.

“Historic Columbia is able to interpret the rich history of the women from our access to materials associated with the colleges including diaries, yearbooks, photographs, and other items donated to us,” says Thompson.

Historic Columbia Foundation tours are offered Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (last tour begins at 3 p.m.) and Sundays 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. (last tour begins at 4 p.m.).  House museums are closed on Mondays and major holidays. Tickets for tours are available at the Museum Shop on the grounds of the Robert Mills House, 1616 Blanding Street. Single adult admission is $6. Single youth admission is $3. Children 5 and under are admitted free. Please call 803.252.1770, ext. 24 for more information or visit www.HistoricColumbia.org.