Blast from the Past—September 22, 2020 Edition
Hanson Hall (Photo courtesy of Gettysburg College)
By Shannon Zeltmann, Staff Writer
This week in 1930, the college was excited to announce new features of the 1930 G-Book. The G-Book was the student handbook, along with various other sections, that used to be given out to all the students on campus. In 1930, they were excited to add a new alumni section, which would contain articles from the Alumni Association, list all the alumni clubs, and highlight several Gettysburg alum. They also wanted to include a short history of Gettysburg College and list all the fraternities, including rating each one. Some different printing practices came in how they wanted to use new and more modern typography, and they wanted to update the layout of the content.
This week in 1950, Hanson Hall opened its doors as the new dormitory for upper-class women. The patio entrance with the main lounge area was one of the major highlights of the dorm. There was one sidewalk that went from Huber Hall to Hanson that was put in as well. About 98 students were living in Hanson during its first year open. Each room was a double. The Dean of Women would also be staying in this Hall. They were planning on making the basement a recreational room, the location of the laundry facilities, and rooms for the sororities. Some students began calling it Hanson Hotel, to show off how nice they were living in the brand-new dorm.
This week in 1970, Penn Hall, otherwise known as the Old Dorm, shifted to being entirely for administration during the 1970-71 academic year. Penn Hall was completed in 1838 and acted as dorms, the library, classrooms, and other purposes. Penn Hall was newly renovated in 1970, with only a few more things that needed to be completed to the building. The interior was made more contemporary, while they kept the exterior the same. These renovations totaled about $1.2 million. Each floor now housed most of the administration of the college.
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These articles and more from the Gettysburgian (1897-2010 issues) can be found on the Gettysburgian digital archives, provided by the Special Collections & College Archives: http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/APA/Gettysburg/default.aspx#panel=home
