The Shack

Looking back between these buildings, toward the playground equipment and parking lot, you're staring at one of the most fun spots in Greenville, historically. It's the location of "The Shack."

The Shack was built in 1939, a quaint clap-board cottage, built to replace the Little Red Schoolhouse towards the back of campus near the college’s heating plant and Marshall Street. The charming building made its way to the campus after the senior class of 1939 raised $300 for a “hangout area” as a class gift to the school upon graduation. This money was donated with the request that it would go towards the construction of an on-campus soda shop. Soon after it was built, complete with a fireplace, counter, and pine tables, The Shack became a favorite spot for all the women on campus for relaxation, snacks, music, and meeting with friends (including boys) and organizations.

Because it was such a hit, eventually the soda shop had to move to accommodate the large crowds, but The Shack remained open for smaller gatherings including organized groups and couples, with a paid fee of $.50.

As an odd twist of fate, out of all the buildings we've discussed with their gorgeous architecture and robust history, the quaint little shack was the one that made it to Furman University's new location in 1961. The 1962 Spring issue of The Furman Magazine stated the women were extremely delighted to have the old building on the new campus, and the “move was met with hearty approval” as the women felt more and more at home.

Because The Shack was no longer used as a soda shop, it became a new living space for female students in 1970 after the university realized the number of students returning from abroad trips would result in overcrowding. A heating system was installed for the students and Mrs. Plyler, along with many other wives of professors decorated the interior. Hellen McCallie, class of 1971, recalled The Shack in the winter 2006 edition of The Furman Magazine, saying “Since it was a new thing, even faculty were asking to be invited to parties.”

In 1987, increasingly distant from its history at the GWC, men started living in rough structure instead of women, and the structure began its slow descent into disrepair as the least energy efficient of Furman's "eco-cabins" by the lake. Very little insulation, rotten boards, and other problems mean the building is currently slated for demolition soon. Stop by the Bell Tower Road at Furman's lake to see the simple cabin before it is gone. Campus leaders have discussed ways to preserve pieces of the historic structure, and plan to model the new student eco-housing on its design to capture the architecture of this important but often overlooked historical landmark!

Sources Used:

Judith T. Bainbridge, Academy and College: the History of the Woman's College of Furman University. Mercer University Press, 2001.

“A plaque for the Shack.” The Furman Magazine (Winter 2006).

“The Great Outdoors Beckons to Furman Girls; and They Respond—!”. The Furman Magazine (Spring 1962), pp. 16-17.

“The Story of the Shack. February 1965." and Bonhomie 1987 from Furman University Special Collections & Archives.