Navy Supply Corps/Normal School

A 1910 postcard of Winnie Davis Hall, built in 1902 by the Daughters of the Confederacy to serve as a dormitory for the daughters of Confederate soldiers.

with Danny Sniff

Thursday, July 29 at 7 pm (reservation deadline: July 26)*

Thursday, August 5 at 7 pm (reservation deadline: August 2)* SOLD OUT!

In 1860, the University of Georgia constructed Rock College, a preparatory school on 30 acres of land off Prince Avenue. Between 1862 and 1891, the school served the educational needs of Georgia in a variety of roles including as a Confederate military school, as a Federal garrison, as a school for disabled young Confederate veterans, and as home to UGA’s agriculture and mechanical arts programs. In 1891, the state established the Normal School to train rural teachers in teaching standards or “norms,” and the nearby commercial area soon adopted the name “Normaltown.” The oldest surviving buildings were built during this period, including Winnie Davis Hall, erected in 1902 as a memorial to the daughter of Jefferson Davis, and the Carnegie Library, built in 1910 with a grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. In the 1930s, the campus served as home to UGA freshmen and sophomore women to keep them isolated from the temptations of the main campus and downtown. In 1953 the site was purchased by the U.S. Navy as a permanent location for its Supply Corps School. In 2011, ownership of the campus will once again return to the University of Georgia, which will develop it as a medical campus while preserving its historic buildings. Because of its historical and educational significance, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This tour will last approximately 2 hours.

Your tour guide:

Danny Sniff is a registered architect whose academic achievements include bachelor of architecture, master of business administration, master of landscape architecture and a master’s in historic preservation degree. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in higher education at the University of Georgia. As the associate vice president for facilities planning at the University of Georgia, Sniff has been intimately involved with planning for the medical campus at the Navy Supply Corps School and has first-hand knowledge of the historic buildings constructed during the era of the State Normal School. This tour will last approximately 2 hours.

*Advanced registration is required. Due to security regulations, registration will close on July 26 for the July 29 tour and on August 2 for the August 5 tour. All tour-goers will need to bring a valid drivers license or government issued identification card to get on base. No photographs are allowed.