As week seven of the Santa Clara County shelter-in-place order begins, many of us are thinking longingly of our past time spent strolling through the Mission Gardens or diligently working on projects in the Learning Commons. Perhaps you’re dreaming of a future where you can once again enjoy Taco Tuesday at The Hut after a stimulating class or grab a slice at Pizza My Heart before heading off to see a movie. We’re all missing the freedom of moving in public without fear of spreading infection. 

However, the freedom enjoyed by Broncos in the 21st century wasn’t always available. Santa Clara students have a history of sheltering-in-place, although for much different reasons than today. While we are currently sheltering-in-place to protect each other from the spread of the coronavirus, past students were distanced from the vile influence of the world outside of campus.

In Santa Clara College’s early days, the campus was completely surrounded by a tall wooden fence, either ten or twelve feet in height. Erected in 1856, the fence was created when Santa Clara faculty discovered that students were escaping campus to have adventures in the surrounding area. Faculty members wanted the fence to protect students from bad influences that surrounded the college, such as the large public square located opposite the mission church, and the many nefarious activities that occurred there–including, as per Teacher B.J. Read’s diary, public quarrels that resulted in death (McKevitt, p. 62). There was also a dance hall, where gambling and other unsavory activities commenced. Supplementing the fence were guard dogs that ensured no intruders came inside the college grounds (and no students got out). Many students referred to the fence as “the prison wall.” 

One of the attractions of Santa Clara for parents was complete oversight of students–they were to be “at all times under the superintendence of prefects or tutors.” This was especially important because, around that time, some Santa Clara students may have been as young as four. As per the 1856-1857 Prospectus of the Year, boarders were only allowed outside the gates if they were accompanied by a tutor or prefect. Extended visits off campus were rare–students were allowed a break over Christmas holidays, from December 23rd to January 2nd, only if their parents wished it. Students whose parents lived in the area were allowed to visit their families on the first Thursday of each month, but had to be back on campus before nightfall. With these few exceptions, students were expected to live their lives within the confines of the fence.

Needless to say, many students weren’t a fan of this strict separation from the outside world. Over the years, students came up with multiple schemes to ferret items inside and escape through the fence. SCU alumni Colonel W.H. Menton recalled a portion of the fence where the board did not meet the ground; through this hole, day scholars would pass tobacco or letters to the boarders. Many students would “clandestinely clamber” over the fence; Edmund J. Duffin used to get “eighty lines of memory for jumping the old fence,” and Jimmy Brazell spent “all his spare time making attempts to scale the big college fence.”

Brazell was also one of multiple students who claimed responsibility for the hambone incident. One night, before the dogs were let loose, a student tied a hambone to the cord of the bell that awoke students each morning. The hambone attracted the guard dogs, who allegedly were “kept hungry during the day” so they would be angry and hyper-vigilant during their night watches. Every time the dogs jumped to take a bite of the bone, the bells would ring, keeping all of campus awake. SCU alumni John Ivancovich (class of 1905) immortalized the fence and the hambone episode in a poem sent to The Santa Claran alumni publication: 

Remember the fence that circled the yard,
That twelve foot wall that made it so hard
To climb and escape for some of us lads–
The adventure, the thrill in fooling the dads.

The rope from whose end the hambone hung,
And the riot that rose when the bell was rung,
Each time that a leaping dog took a big bite,
Bedlam let loose through all of that night.

This incident occurred toward the end of the fence’s lifetime. In 1911, alongside the construction of St. Joseph’s Hall, the fence was disassembled. This came at a time of campus and student life rejuvenation, when student quarters were renovated to include private rooms and indoor plumbing, and the constant supervision of students was lifted. The reason for the change? The current environment was not compatible with the “growing spirit of freedom” in American youth (McKevitt, p. 169) (although the ability to channel faculty time more productively probably impacted the decision). As explained in the 1912-1913 Course Bulletin, students were now allowed more time away from campus, with all students having the opportunity to visit family at Thanksgiving and Easter and older students allowed to leave campus at night (although both still required approval of the President).

Although maligned by students when kept within its confines, alumni later admitted the benefits the fence provided. “By keeping in our bodies, it drew out our minds,” said Martin Detels. Luke Feeney said the fence “helped to build a comradeship among the boys and the Fathers that has lasted down the years.” As the fence kept students away from the outside world, it also strengthened the bonds between those who lived and studied inside its walls. 

Although we are distancing for different reasons, perhaps we can empathize with the thirst for freedom felt by these past students. Fortunately for us, sheltering-in-place will not last forever. As Fr. O’Brien stated in his March 27th email, “While our last few months on campus are defined by the pandemic, it does not capture all of who we are and what our time together has meant. We have more to learn and more to share with each other. We will get through this period of time with creativity, generosity, and care for one another.” 

We look forward to a time when the SCU community can once again come together without boundaries. Until then, we are still here for you. Please feel free to email us at specialcollections@scu.edu and let us know how we can best support you and your research. 

Header Image: Science building with the fence in the foreground, approximately 1862. Image courtesy of SCU Archives & Special Collections Digital Collections.

Works Cited

McKevitt, Gerald. The University of Santa Clara: A History, 1851-1977. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 1979.