A Look at the Tift College Alumnae House at Mercer University
Mercer University’s campus contains many historical buildings and landmarks. One of the most notable of these landmarks is the W.G. Lee Alumni House, but there is another historic home right next door.
The Tift College Alumnae House is a Victorian home located on Ash Street.
“While attending Mercer’s Family Weekends the past four years, my parents often remark that going to the Tift Scholar reception and seeing the Tift house is one of their favorite parts of the weekend because taking a tour of the Tift house is like taking a trip back in time,” said senior Tift Scholar Claudia McMeekin.
The home was built in 1880 by Christopher DeSwan Findlay, a Macon native and the owner of Findlay Iron Works, according to Mercer University. The cast-iron fence and gate that surrounds the home were made out of iron from Findlay’s company.
Findlay, his wife Ellen and their seven children moved into the house after it was built, and the house remained in the family’s possession until 1938 when it was sold to Mercer University.
Many parts of the house represent the Findlay family’s ownership, including the name Verne scratched in the window pane of the front left sitting room.
According to Mercer University, the house served many different purposes. It was designated as the Panhellenic Sorority house on campus in 1970 and it was not until Tift College and Mercer University merged that the house was repurposed for Tift associations.
Tift College, which was was chartered on Dec. 21, 1849 as Forsyth Female Collegiate Institute, merged with Mercer University in 1986.
The Tift College Alumnae Association and Tift College Scholars program were formed to continue the legacy of Tift on Mercer’s campus, according to Mercer University.
To have a physical location for Tift alumnae and scholars, restoration began on the Findlay house in 1995 by the Macon architectural firm of Brittain, Thompson, Bray and Brown, according to Mercer University.
The house was officially dedicated as the Tift College Alumnae House on May 3, 1997, according to Mercer University. Now, the house is used as a gathering place for Tift Scholars and members of the Tift Alumnae Association.
“The Tift Alumnae Association is so grateful to have a designated space on Mercer’s campus where we can gather for alumnae board meetings and events. The beautiful house, its furnishings and its décor remind us of the many Tift traditions that continue on Mercer’s campus through the Tift College Scholars Association,” said Christina Huseman, president of the Tift Alumnae Board of Directors.
The Tift Scholars program grants scholarships to incoming Mercer women based on academics and community service, according to Mercer University.
Some of the events that take place at the Tift Alumnae House includes a program in the spring to honor Tift Scholars and an Alumnae Weekend in the fall.
“It’s amazing to see and meet Tift Alumnae of all ages and from all generations at Tift events in the house. It creates a network of women, and the house is a symbol of that,” said Melody Hancock, a senior Tift Scholar.
