History Corner

The University of the South and Beersheba Springs

BY RIDLEY WILLS II

Sewanee’s early history is inextricably interwoven with that of Beersheba.

The famous pre-Civil War watering hole was the scene of two meetings of the University of the South Board of Trustees. Col. John Armfield, of Beersheba, gave the first two Sewanee chancellors, Bishops James Harvey Otey of Tennessee and Leonidas Polk of Louisiana summer homes in Beersheba. The charter of the university was granted by the State of Tennessee in January 1858.

The next year, plans were laid in Beersheba for the laying of the cornerstone at Sewanee in October 1860. A summer resident of Beersheba, Judge Oliver J. Morgan, of Carroll Parrish, Louisiana, made the final gift needed to complete the university endowment.

In appreciation for his support, Morgan’s Steep on the west brow in Sewanee is named for him. Along the same brow are Otey’s Prospect, Polk’s Lookout and Armfield’s Bluff.

For many years, the home altar that had been in Polk’s Beersheba cottage was housed at different spots in Beersheba, including the Howell Cottage and the Northern Store. It finally found a permanent home in All Saints Chapel in Sewanee.