The Sundial was gift from the graduating Class of 1908 and was erected in a very important spot on campus. A few months before graduation a lightening bolt struck the famous “Toombs’ Oak” in front of the chapel and felled it. The tree was made famous by the legend that Robert Toombs gave a speech so moving under that tree during graduation events inside the chapel that everyone inside left to hear the young orator. This was controversial because Toombs, an excellent student, had been expelled a few years earlier for fighting. He later went on to become Secretary of State for the Confederacy. The Sundial was put on that famous spot to mark it for future generations. The face of the dial was replaced with an accurate reproduction that still have all the original detail; detail that can now be appreciated without 100 plus years worth of weathering.
