VSU Hosts First Ever Hidden History Tour

VALDOSTA - Mysterious Mr. Pythagoras, war protests, dungeons, roofs and more will only be a few of the highlights on Valdosta State University's first ever Hidden History Tour held at various times from Monday through Saturday, Oct. 29 through Nov. 3.

Groups of 20 will tour main campus, which will be spotted with life-sized pictures from the past and an assortment of costumed characters. Guests will experience reenactments of the infamous Mr. Pythagoras, who disrupted classrooms in the early 1980s with mathematical proof of impossible claims, or bagpipe playing Clyde, a student who frequently stood atop Odum Library in the late 1970s playing his musical instrument. They will also hear stories of campus-wide practical jokes and visits by famous people, like Ike and Tina Turner, while viewing more than 45 pictures placed in strategic locations across campus. Hidden locations, such as the Nevins Hall courtyard, and creepy places, like the Ashley Hall dungeon or the biology specimen lab, will give the tour a special flair in the spirit of Halloween.

Deborah Davis and others from the VSU Archives department developed the concept as a way to connect current students and VSU supporters to people and places in the university’s past through offering secret or limited access to parts of the campus not frequently allowed. The following individuals and groups provided ideas and support to the tour’s creation: John Taylor, Erin Abbot, Stacey Wright, Andrea Williams-Robinson, Mike Holt and Paul Riggs as well as the Centennial Steering Committee, Odum Library Media Services, Plant Operations and numerous other volunteers.

Open free to the public, tours will be offered at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and at 2 p.m. on Saturday the last week in October. Each will feature one tour leader and an additional staff member to ensure safety. Be advised that a few locations are not handicap accessible. Tickets are available at the VSU Circulation Desk, second floor entrance, Odum Library. Call circulation, (229) 333-5869, for reservations or call the VSU Archives Department, (229) 333-7150 for more information.