Dell never reads for pleasure; she only reads when forced to do homework or study for an exam. To make the reading experience a little less painless, Dell does her studying in The Oval where she can plant her feet in the grass and enjoy fresh air.
“It’s like sitting on a little part of the world,” Dell said.
Dell, like many Ohio State students, utilize the space and atmosphere of The Oval to study, relax, toss a Frisbee and meet friends.
This is exactly what early landscape developers had in mind when The Oval was designed 110 years ago.
According to an essay written by John H. Herrick, executive director emeritus of campus planning, OSU’s original campus did not include The Oval or any area similar to it but emerged from the idea that grouping buildings around a common area would create a sociable atmosphere and a central meeting area.
In 1893, 20 years after the birth of OSU, a plan proposed that buildings be arranged in the form of a quadrangle, using University Hall, OSU’s first academic building, as a reference point because of its location on the highest point on campus.
By the fall of 1901, according to Herrick, the space evolved into a shape similar to that of today, and by 1920, faculty and students informally named the space The Oval.
As the shape of The Oval has been preserved over time, OSU’s history has been preserved through various landmarks and historical markers throughout The Oval.
Among the oldest and more popular landmarks commonly seen on campus tours are the Five Brothers trees, located between Orton and Derby Halls, that were planted by members of the class of 1891 in the annual observance of arbor day. The trees, originally English elm, have since died and have been replaced by oak trees.
Among the less known landmarks is a large granite boulder located between University Hall and Derby Hall, dedicated by the class of 1892 to OSU students who served in World War I, and the Vietnam Memorial Tree in the South Oval dedicated to the OSU students who died in the Vietnam War.
Also little known is a sculpture, erected in 1915 and originally placed in The Oval that is dedicated to Dr. Willoughby D. Miller, the dentist who discovered the cause of tooth decay. In 1978, the sculpture was moved to an area near Postle Hall.
Legends have also been strong in The Oval’s history. One of the most popular legends is that of the Long Walk – the pathway that extends across the entire span of The Oval leading to the statue of William Oxley Thompson in front of the Main Library. Legend says if a couple holds hands while walking the span of the Long Walk, they will someday be married.
However, at another point in The Oval’s history, marriage was not the only outcome for students who walked the Long Walk. In his essay, Herrick states that during his years at OSU, before 1925, freshmen were forbidden on the Long Walk. If a freshman were to step on the path, he could expect to be punished by an upperclassman who would throw him into Mirror Lake.
According to Beth Keehn, assistant director of student outreach and admissions, among OSU’s ghost stories a legend exists that says the remains of a human body are buried in Bricker Hall. According to Keehn, this is not a legend but a true story. A former member of the Board of Directors stated in his will that when he died, he wanted his ashes buried inside the building. The ashes are located in the wall on the second floor of Bricker Hall.
The various legends and landmarks of The Oval are an important part of OSU’s history that allow students and faculty to feel connected to the past.
“Students like hearing the traditions. It makes prospective students feel like they are part of the university before they even get here,” Keehn said.
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