1. During the Civil War, a woman named Sal McBree who lived in Sewanee was known for sitting outside with her hogs and two army revolvers to intimidate Union soldiers.
2. When it was built in 1866, Rebel’s Rest was the original University supply store that sold pencils and inkwells.
3. Many Confederate widows came to Sewanee after losing the war to serve as head matrons in the dorm rooms, or “boardinghouses” as they were called. Their roles were taken very seriously; in 1872, Bishop Elliot is quoted as commanding that “no students should sit down at the table unless a lady was at the head of it, to teach manners.”
4. These matrons also used to knit kilts for Highlanders.
5. Each boardinghouse (aka dorm room) had its own baseball team, clubs, hierarchies, and traditions.
6. Classes could be canceled for several days after major Sewanee football victories. In 1909, a professor scaled a 150-foot water tower and painted the winning score on it. Football players would be carried on the shoulders of students in celebration when they got off the trains.