Front view of the former home of Katharine Merrill Graydon
| Description: |
Built in 1907, this Irvington home was the residence of Katharine Merrill Graydon. The house was designed by the architects Herbert Foltz and Wilson B. Parker of Indianapolis and the exterior was pictured in the November 1909 issue of The Ladies Home Journal. After earning her Bachelor of Arts from Butler in 1878, Graydon taught Greek at Butler for one year. She then furthered her studies by earning a Master of Arts from Indiana University and she taught at schools in Nebraska and Hawaii. When she returned to Butler University in 1907, she held the Catharine Merrill Chair of English Literature until her retirement in 1930, when she became a Professor Emeritus. The Catharine Merrill Chair of English Literature was named for Graydons aunt, who was the first woman appointed to the Demia Butler Chair of English Literature in 1869, making her one of the first female professors in the United States. Descriptions of Graydons home referred to it as the social center of life in Irvington for the faculty and students at Butler. Both aunt and niece were so popular at Butler that their former students created literary clubs in their honor. The Catharine Merrill Club was founded in 1885 and the Katharine Merrill Graydon Club was founded in 1923. Merrill was recognized by Butler with an honorary Master of Arts in 1871, and Graydon was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature in 1928, the 50th anniversary of her own college graduation. |
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| Origin: | 2010-08-21 |
| Created By: |
Childs-Helton, Sally Carr, 1953- |
| Source: |
http://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/BldgsGrnds/id/256 |
| Collection: |
Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection |
| Rights: | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/ |
| Copyright: |
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted |
| Geography: |
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States |
| Subjects: |
Graydon, Katharine Merrill--Homes and haunts Merrill, Catharine, 1824-1900 Private universities and colleges--Faculty College teachers Butler University--History Irvington (Indianapolis, Ind.)--History Foltz, Herbert Parker, Wilson B. Houses Residences |
Further information on this record can be found at its source.
This project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Indiana State Library.