Download or read book College Life in the Old South written by E. Merton Coulter and published by University of Georgia Press. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Relates the early history of the University of Georgia from its founding in 1785 through the Reconstruction era. In this history of America's first chartered state university, the author recounts, among other things, how Athens was chosen as the university's location; how the state tried to close the university and refused to give it a fixed allowance until long after the Civil War; the early rules and how students invariably broke them; the days when the Phi Kappa and Demosthenian literary societies ruled the campus; and the vast commencement crowds that overwhelmed Athens to feast on oratory and watermelons.