📜 DeSaussure College (1809)

DeSaussure College was named for Henry William DeSaussure (1763-1839), who served in the Revolutionary War and later as a politician in both chambers of the South Carolina legislature. He advocated for the establishment of the college as a member of the General Assembly in 1801, and he served as one of its first trustees. A lawyer and later a judge, DeSaussure also served as the second director of the United States Mint.

The structure, constructed as a twin of Rutledge College, served as a hospital during the Civil War, and was the site of the first medical school at Carolina from 1866-1873. During Reconstruction, one wing served as a federal military prison while the university and the city were occupied. During World War I, one wing served as the first women’s dormitory.

During the 1970s Horseshoe Restoration Project, archaeologists discovered DeSaussure’s original foundation had been 100 feet closer to Rutledge.