Sweet Briar College

Sweet Briar College students chat in the Dell, 1966.

Sweet Briar College students chat in the Dell, 1966.

Students sit outside of the entrance to Mary Helen Cochran Library at Sweet Briar College, c. 1960.

(Peter Stackpole. 1951)

Sweet Briar College. No truer words spoken.

“Alma mater, down in Dixie-land, we dream of you; Rose of old Sweet Briar through the years we turn to you; Mem'ries are calling where blue mists are falling, And the pines softly sigh as the breeze murmurs by.”

- original mission statement of the Sweet Briar Institute, Last Will & Testament of Indiana Fletcher Williams, 1899

Today is Founders’ Day! It’s on this day that we pay our respects to the founders of Sweet Briar by walking up to Monument Hill and laying flowers on their graves. It’s also the first day that seniors wear their graduation robes, as you can see in this clip of a promotional film from 1939! If you want to see more digitized films from our collection, check out our Youtube channel!

(Peter Stackpole. 1951)