A Photography Exhibition
Then Photograph
Now Photograph
Alexandria Parrish, “Ball Hall 2014,” March 21, 2014, Personal Collection of Alexandria Parrish, University of Mary Washington.
Photograph editing by Jessica Reingold
The May Day celebration used to be one of the grandest events at UMW, especially when it was still an all-girls school. The first May Day was held in conjunction with the Field Day games in the Spring of 1914 on the lawn in front of Monroe Hall. In 1923, the event was moved to the amphitheater located behind Trinkle Hall and next to Marye Hall. The celebration would begin with a processional led by the May Queen and her attendants, Senior Maypole dancers, and then the classes followed in order wearing their color. 1 After the May song, the Queen was crowned and the seniors performed the Maypole dance. In the late 1960s, the tradition fell out of favor, as an antiquated event. By 1968, with “the war, divisive camp politics, and rabble-rousing, Bullet editorials, our attention was obviously directed elsewhere…May Court was trivial in comparison.” 2 1968 was the last year to see a May Day at the University. In January 2001, several clubs, led by the Inter-Club association and French Club tried to revive the tradition but with marked changes. The revival never really caught on however, and the May Day tradition still remains an event of the past.
Today, other celebrations have taken the place of May Day. One such celebration is Holi, the Indian celebration of the arrival of spring and the passing of winter.3 The celebration is traditionally held on Ball Circle and hosted by the UMW International Living Community. Participants wear white and dried paint is passed out to be thrown into the air for a simultaneous burst of color.
A tradition since Mary Washington’s inception, the annual commencement ceremonies have always been an important and special time for graduating seniors. Today commencement occurs annually on Ball Circle.
The State Normal and Industrial School for Women in Fredericksburg's class of 1918, 1918 UMW Graduates, 2011 The University of Mary Washington's 1974 Commencement ceremony, 1974 The University of Mary Washington's 2013 commencement ceremony, 2013
"The State Normal and Industrial School for Women in Fredericksburg's class of 1918," 1918, The Centennial Image Collection, UMW Digital Archives, University of Mary Washington.
Featured left to right: Caitrin Smith, Christine Melchione, Erin Lombard, Melissa Evich, and Kelly Reeder
Kelly Reeder, "Class of 2011," 2011, Personal Collection of Kelly Reeder, University of Mary Washington.
"The University of Mary Washington's 1974 Commencement ceremony," 1974, The Centennial Image Collection, UMW Digital Archives.
"The University of Mary Washington's 2013 commencement ceremony," May 11, 2013, University of Mary Washington, UMW's Undergraduate Commencement 2013, University of Mary Washington Facebook page.
As quoted in University of Mary Washington: A Centennial History, 1908-2008, the 1977 Bullet described Ball Hall as “The home of sophisticated girls, mostly seniors and lucky underclassmen…who act with a touch of class. Some noses are carried so high that…they are in danger of drowning in heavy rain.”1
Ball Hall, originally named Mary Ball Hall after George Washington’s mother, was completed in 1935. This dormitory is the central building in a tri-unit dorm structure that included Madison and Custis Halls on either side of it. Located right on Ball Circle across from Virginia Hall, this dormitory possesses an elegance that is lacking in newer, purely utilitarian dorms; Ball Hall boasts a grand entrance with a large reception area, a circular stairway extending to an amber skylight three floors above, and two fine parlors illuminated by crystal chandeliers and wall sconces. 2 Today, Ball Hall houses 105 women, second year or above, in double occupancy rooms with suite baths.3
 Ball Hall 2014 |
