The lovely fountain at the center of the original campus quadrangle is named for Fannie E.S. Heck (1862-1915) and was donated by the Baptist Woman’s Missionary Union in 1928, two years after the Meredith College campus was moved from downtown. Fannie Heck was the first president of the North Carolina branch of the Women’s Missionary Union and in that position was instrumental in the final fundraising push that allowed the original campus buildings to be completed – even as the campus opened to students in 1899. (The fundraising effort, named the “Good Women’s Movement” was tasked with raising $6,000.) Although she declined an offer to become the school’s first “lady principal,” preferring to focus on missionary efforts and social welfare programs, Miss Heck, who lived nearby, often visited the campus, offering support, advice and lessons to the students.
During the 1997-98 academic year the Heck Fountain in the quadrangle courtyard underwent restoration. For several generations of students, it has been a favorite landmark at the center of campus and the site of ceremonies and photographs.
Fannie E.S. Heck
(1862-1915)
The fountain was placed on the new college campus in 1928, donated by the Baptist Woman’s Missionary Union. President Charles Brewer poses next to this campus landmark.
The fountain was at one time surrounded by decorative foliage (1938.)
Stringfield Residence Hall and the Heck Memorial Fountain recognize the fundraising work of Rev. Oliver Larkin Stringfield and Fannie E. S.Heck. Their efforts were directly responsible for the opening of the college.
Placed at the center of the original residential area of the campus, the Heck Fountain has, over the decades, provided a backdrop for photographs, a site for ceremonies or a lovely obstacle on the straight path across campus.
Carlyle Campbell Library
Meredith College
3800 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
919-760-8532
