SAMPSON HALL

Formerly Carnegie Library and Sampson Library

Digital Exhibit by Allyson Smith

Sampson Hall: Image

Built in 1908, this building has served Stetson for over a century as both a library and a creative arts building.

Sampson Hall: Quote

Funding

In February of 1907, Stetson received $40,000 (approximately $1.1 million in 2020) from the philanthropist and industrial mogul, Andrew Carnegie. Originally, the university president Lincoln Hulley requested a $100,000 donation. Hulley and Carnegie’s secretaries went back and forth on this before eventually settling on the $40,000 amount. Stetson University's Carnegie Library was one of over 2,000 libraries that Mr. Carnegie funded to expand literacy across America. In Florida, the Carnegie library was one of three academic libraries built from Carnegie’s contributions. Rollins College in Winter Park and Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee also received donations.

Elizabeth A. Stetson, the widow of John B. Stetson, contributed an equal amount of $40,000. With these donations and the University's existing funds, the original budget was around $100,000 ($2.7 million 2020).

Sampson Hall: Text

Construction and Design

Once funding was secured, contractors turned to a design for the building, courtesy of renowned architect Henry John Klutho, the first Floridian to earn membership in the American Institute of Architects. After a Great Fire destroyed thousands of buildings in Jacksonville, Klutho designed countless buildings for the city, shaping the city’s skyline. One of his greatest-known buildings is the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee. Like Sampson Hall, it has a neoclassical style, with brickwork, many windows, and massive white columns.

During construction, Klutho made a few artistic choices with the design. Above the building’s entrance is the quote “Education is Power.” The quote is sometimes attributed to either former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt or journalist Mark Twain. On the same trim, there are the names of famous writers, like William Shakespeare, Homer, and Dante. This is a tribute to the classic and political literature that filled the library. To the right of the entrance is the bronze bas-relief of Henry Deland, the founder of Deland Academy (now Stetson University). Mr. Deland was sculpted by Portuguese nobleman Count of Saint Eulalia, Mrs. Elizabeth Stetson's second husband after the death of John B Stetson.

In 1929, the library expanded on the South. This addition was made in anticipation of new materials, which can be credited to the Roaring Twenties. This was an era marked by an increase in the economy and production of consumer goods. In the decade to follow, the Great Depression hit America, which would prevent any more alterations for several decades. In fact, the building was not updated for another 60 years.

Sampson Hall: Text

The Host of Many Firsts

Carnegie Library held a greater significance than being the first separate library building for the Stetson. In Florida, Stetson was the first college to hire a full-time professional librarian, Mrs. Phillip Loring Allen in the Fall of 1913. However, because Allen allowed the men and women to talk to each other in the library, University President Dr. Hulley did not hire any more full-time librarians after her.

Stetson University also was the first private, non-historically black college or university (NBCU) in Florida to integrate in 1962. Sampson Library was where Stetson's first African-American student, Cornelius Hunter studied for tests, quizzes and projects, until the library moved to a new location in 1964.

Sampson Hall: Text

Changes in Libraries

In 1964, Sampson Library’s materials were moved to the third and present library, DuPont-Ball Library. This decision was made by the University Engineer, Mr. Emerson. The number of documents and books in the library overwhelmed the building that originally anticipated between 1,500-2,000 volumes of information. Another issue was that the bricks used in the initial build were made of sand, causing the basement to take on moisture and ruin important documents and articles from the archives. (Sand was a more affordable material to make bricks, used due to constraints on budget.)

Given these issues, the university constructed the DuPont-Ball library to keep documents safe and anticipate new documents and materials. But, the move presented a challenge, as there are no ramps outside of Sampson Library for carts. Students, faculty, and staff volunteered to line from Sampson Library to DuPont-Ball Library and pass the books from person to person until all the material transferred over. This job was aptly named “Operation Booklift.”

Sampson Hall: Text

A Change in Names and Rededication

It is unclear when the change occurred, but before the library moved, Carnegie Library was being referred to as the Sampson Library. This name change was made in honor of John B. Stetson's friend and university donor, C.T. Sampson. Sampson was a shoe manufacturer and Baptist Minister who visited DeLand seasonally. He also donated thousands of dollars to the University every year and left money to Stetson in his will.

Following the library's relocation, Sampson Hall began housing the Creative Arts program. But, the hall was still facing a lot of the same challenges that needed to be addressed: unstable ground conditions, moisture in the basement, and a silverfish infestation. In 1989, the building was renovated at $900,000. This renovation closed a lot of classrooms for the academic year of 1989-1990. But in 1990, it reopened with a rededication ceremony.

During the renovation, the University built the Pope and Margaret Duncan Gallery of Art, dedicated to the recently-retired University President Pope Alexander Duncan and First Lady Margaret Duncan who served from 1977-1987. During his time as the university president, Duncan helped raise over $50 million ($1.1 billion in 2020) in fundraising for Stetson.

Sampson Hall: Text

Modern History

In 1993, Sampson Hall became a state-recognized Historical Structure, one of many historically-recognized buildings in DeLand and on Stetson’s campus. Around the same time, in 1995, Stetson ended its ties with the Baptist Convention, yet the creative arts building still kept the Sampson name, leaving the lasting impression of Stetson’s Baptist affiliation. More than two decades later, in 2016, Sampson’s roof was replaced at the cost of $100,000. The renovations totaled $425,000 and were partially funded by a historical structure grant.

In 2020, you can see many creative arts students coming to and from Sampson Hall, an integral piece of Stetson University's history.

Sampson Hall: Text