Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University

06/03/2026

"While I Breathe, I Hope" 🎵 alumnus James Kevin Gray '99 recently saw his work adopted as South Carolina's official state choral anthem, and we couldn't be prouder! Read more, and listen to the anthem.
https://www.winthrop.edu/news-events/sc-adopts-choral-anthem-written-by-winthrop-alumnus.aspx?fbclid=IwY2xjawSNTohleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEer2OcswasnmOM01kFrWgBEc9MjT4w9jfGkhIHfA8aFIUaL6nGXQczgt8yeFs_aem_45-tvdKKu9rguIidMyl2wg

Winthrop University alumnus James Kevin Gray ’99 received news this month that he had been waiting on for years. The song, “While I Breathe, I Hope,” that he wrote more than a decade ago was voted on by the S.C. General Assembly as the state’s official choral anthem.

05/29/2026

Summer School At Winthrop
Did you know that contrary to popular belief that men have been at Winthrop since almost our very beginning; the answer as to how, is Summer School. The picture above is from the 1900 session of Summer School at Winthrop. In 1926 one could attend Summer School from June 15 through July 23 for the fee of $40.00. This included your classes, your room, and your meals. However students were supposed to provide their own towels, soaps and blankets. Laundry for female students was provided on campus but the men must go into the town of Rock Hill to have their laundry done. If one was already a South Carolina teacher coming to Summer School there was no fee to attend, and out of state teachers had to be $10.00. It was advertised that Winthrop was the ideal location for Summer School because , “Its proximity to the mountains renders the climate cool and healthful…..an abundance of fresh, cold water is supplied by artesian wells…the Peabody gymnasium gives opportunity for the best instruction in physical training …and the College Farm supplies the dining room with milk and vegetables. There were college credit courses, teachers’ courses and summer school certificates being offered. Winthrop’s Summer School was highly attended by both men and allowed for continuing education that for many would not have been a possibility.

05/21/2026

Memorial Day is a holiday in which we honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. We at the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University would like to take a minute to remember our own family members who proudly served our Country.
Gina White:
Father : Dock Price (WWII)
Uncle, William Bennett (WWII)
Andrew Johnston:
Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather, Thomas Jefferson Johnston(War Between the States)
Grandfather, Delbert "Ed" Huber (WWII)
Kaitlin Burdette:
several Great Uncles
Brittany Pigford
Grandfather, Robert Morrow Slagle (WWII)
Grandfather, Fred Washington Stamper Jr.
We would also like to pay tribute to Brittany Pigford's son, Nathan Pigford who is currently serving in The United States Navy and stationed on The USS Theodore Roosevelt in San Diego and her Uncle, Dennis Moore (Vietnam) who is still with us but served proudly.
The Louise Pettus Archives is very proud to be the home to the oral and written records of many of the men listed above, and would love for you to come look at their collections. We thank them all for their service! We hope that everyone has a happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend. The Louise Pettus Archives will close at 12Pm on Friday the 22nd and reopen on Tuesday May 26th

05/08/2026

In May 1998, the current Department of Archives and History building opened!

The new building was designed with some of South Carolina’s most iconic symbols in mind, including textile mills, Fort Sumter, and universities like Furman and Winthrop. The Archives building has a reference room for researchers, several conference rooms, three climate-controlled storage spaces, and an exhibit hall, among other features. To learn more about our building, visit us for a tour!

Attached are some current images and images from our collection documenting the construction of the building.

05/04/2026

May the 4th Be With you as you enjoy this photo from 1980 taken at Winthrop's annual Halloween Happening.

04/30/2026

On Thursday, April 30 Pettus Archives was pleased to be involved in “Threads of Time: The Digital Legacy of the Springs Bulletin” held at Baxter Mill Archive at The Thread. Pettus Archives and the Springs Close Family Archives partnered to digitize and make available online, issues of The Springs Bulletin 1943-1983. This project, three years in the making, came to fruition with the unveiling of the digital collection that is housed and maintained by Pettus. The issues can be viewed and searched at Pettus Archives Digital Commons here: https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/springsbulletin_newspaper/
Questions? Contact us!

Below are photos from the beautiful Springs Creative/Baxter Mill Archives and follow the links to learn more about each.
https://baxtermillarchive.com

https://www.springscreative.com/

04/28/2026

The Louise Pettus Archives would like to take a moment to congratulate three of our amazing Pettus and Dacus employees for being recognized for their years of service to Winthrop and the State of South Carolina. Our own Adrew Johnston, for 20 years, Dacus Library's , Nancy White, for 30 years and finally to our fearless leader, Gina White for 40 (FORTY) years of service. Here is to 40 more for all of them.

04/28/2026

The Louise Pettus Archives would like to wish all of our students a productive study day and wish them well on their final exams. Take a break and look at some of our hard working Winthrop students as they prepared for finals throughout the years.

04/27/2026

We love hosting displays at events .
130 reasons to celebrate! This weekend, Macfeat Laboratory School celebrated 130 years by welcoming alumni from across the years to reconnect with past classmates and teachers and explore what's next for the school.