Celebrating Chowan’s Publication History

2023 is a very important year in the history of Chowan University, as it marks the 175th anniversary of its founding. In that long history, several magazines—though perhaps not as many as you might think—were created by the students of Chowan. We’re very fortunate to have digital scans of two of them. The first, undoubtedly the earliest publication in Chowan’s history, The Casket, was published in 1854, only a few years before the cataclysm of the Civil War. 60 years later, in the midst of World War I, Chowan students created another magazine, The Columns. Thanks to good luck and the work of the UNC-Chapel Hill libraries, we have digital scans of one precious issue of The Casket and several issues of The Columns from 1914-1917.

When Chowan’s 175th Anniversary Committee asked if The Brown Lady could feature these publications in some way, I eagerly accepted the invitation. Choosing what to feature from these glimpses of the past was challenging, but I ultimately settled on three poems, one from The Casket and two from the inaugural issue of The Columns, each of which offers a telling and often humorous glance into student life in those eras (including 1854, when the entire school existed in one building, the McDowell Columns Building). Please take a few minutes to enjoy these gifts from the past before exploring the accomplishments of today’s Chowan students!