Historical Plagues at St. Lawrence University

By Lehlomela Mofali Last updated Oct 11, 2020

Heritage buildings at St. Lawrence University. Image Credit: Owen Hammel '22.

If you read a plaque to know whose name each building bears, or you just want to confirm your location on campus, there is Paul Haggett you need to thank. It wasn’t always this easy. In fact the project to install historical plaques around campus started after a conversation Haggett had with a frustrated member of the community. “I applied for a grant in fall 2014 after a conversation with a new coach on campus who was frustrated by a lack of building signage. So I thought maybe a project that addresses this might benefit people trying to get around campus,” Haggett explains.

“I have access to all the needed photos and information on the background of the buildings, so I took the lead in compiling everything and writing the narratives. A small committee met to discuss ideas and critique concepts,” says Haggett. The committee consisted of Haggett, Women’s tennis coach Greg Krietzer, Associate Professor of Psychology Mark Oakes, and Margaret Sullivan ’15.

The committee worked on ideas for the signages. When asked about how the final information on the signage is decided, Haggett emphasizes the committee’s neutrality “I tried to stick to facts, [People’s] role in university history.” That is to say that signs reflect the legacies of historical figures at St. Lawrence University.

After the project was approved for an innovation grant in 2014, work began in early 2015. The committee recruited Kirsten Ward. Kirsten’s job was to design the plaques. She had previously worked on the Arboretum Tour Showcases – the signage project for tree varieties on campus. They also included Marcus Sherberne who helped with the installation of the plaques.

The grant was able to cover signages for 11 buildings: Richardson hall, Gunnison Chapel, Carnegie, Hepburn, Sykes, Dean Eaton, Herring-Cole, ODY, Atwood Hall, Brewer Bookstore, three buildings associated with the former Agricultural School, Piskor Hall, Payson Hall and Memorial Hall.

In 2018, Haggett applied for another innovation grant to expand the signage project. A new committee was assembled, consisting of Paul Hagget,Marcus Sherberne, and Paul Doty – the Special Collections Librarian for St. Lawrence University.

With the second round of funding the committee was able to bring 15 more signs to campus. “Finally, just after students arrived, 15 additional signs were installed for the following buildings: Weeks Field, Appleton Arena, Newell, Augsbury, Bewkes, Valentine, Flint, Brown, Madill, Johnson, Sullivan Student Center, Lee, Eben Holden, Rebert, Whitman, Hulett & Jencks, Kirk Douglas, Griffiths, The Noble Center and Vilas Hall were all included in this phase of the project.The signs were installed around campus in early September 2020,” explains Haggett.

The signage project is another testament of Laurentians using available resources, such as the innovation grant by the President’s Office, to improve the lives of fellow Laurentians.