Watts and Virginia Halls Construction
1922
In 1921, ATS purchased seven and a half acres of the lawn of "Laburnum," the home of John Stewart Bryan. In 1922, the George W. Watts Memorial Hall came into being thanks to a gift from Mrs. George W. Watts, Durham, N.C. in memory of her husband. Mr. Watts had previously given money to Union Theological Seminary to build the George W. Watts Hall some 30 years earlier. The ATS Watts Hall was built to accommodate 125 students.
Virginia Hall was built soon after, providing a dining hall, kitchen, classrooms, and chapel with funds from the Million Dollar Campaign for Education, conducted by the Synod of Virginia. The 1923-24 class was the first to occupy these two buildings.
Glenn Bannerman tells a story about a tractor that sank down in the mud in front of Watts Memorial and was too difficult to retrieve. So it was buried and is still there! Maybe this is a picture of that tractor?
Virginia Hall was built soon after, providing a dining hall, kitchen, classrooms, and chapel with funds from the Million Dollar Campaign for Education, conducted by the Synod of Virginia. The 1923-24 class was the first to occupy these two buildings.
Glenn Bannerman tells a story about a tractor that sank down in the mud in front of Watts Memorial and was too difficult to retrieve. So it was buried and is still there! Maybe this is a picture of that tractor?
