While the physical restoration of Limestone College's Winnie Davis Hall of History has yet to begin, plans are already in place to restore the spirit of Southern history and culture that the building once housed.

Funded by a $40,000 grant from the Wachovia Foundation, Limestone will launch a program series entitled "Renewing a Dream, Revisiting the South" that will provide the student body and the local community free access to programs and exhibits from a wide array of historians, literary scholars, art collections and performing artists. The program will focus on literature, art and performing arts with an emphasis on Southern history and culture. These scholars and artists will be available on campus to provide an evening program for the public and to attend small classes with Limestone students and faculty.

""Renewing a Dream, Revisiting the South" will reestablish Winnie Davis Hall as an epicenter of Southern culture and history, just as President Lee Davis Lodge envisioned over 100 years ago," said Limestone President Dr. Walt Griffin. "We are grateful to the Wachovia Foundation for funding what is one the most significant academic and cultural ventures Limestone has undertaken in a long time."

At the turn of the last century, College President Lee Davis Lodge created the Winnie Davis School of History program to preserve and promote the study of Southern history and literature. Dr. Lodge dreamed of building a repository for treasured materials of the South and a center for historical research and instruction.

"Three of the areas on which the Wachovia Foundation focuses are education, community, and arts and culture," explained Rick Patterson, a Senior Vice President with Wachovia and a member of the Limestone Board of Trustees. "This program serves needs and provides opportunities in all three and we are proud to be a part of it."

Among the topics being planned are: Southern Women in Higher Education, The Role of African-Americans in Revolutionary Times and/or the Civil War, The Importance of Textile Mills in the South, and The Role of Southern Women in Society.

The College will begin "Renewing a Dream, Revisiting the South" upon completion of the renovation of the Winnie Davis Hall of History. The Wachovia series will be the inaugural program presented in the soon-to-be renovated architectural jewel of Limestone's campus.

Limestone College is a fouryear, liberal arts institution in Gaffney, SC. Established in 1845, Limestone offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, bachelor of social work, associate of arts, and associate of science degrees through traditional and non-traditional educational opportunities.