UNC’s Old Well

iStockphoto

From its inauspicious beginnings in the late eighteenth century as the sole water source for students, the Old Well on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill endures as a shrine and symbol of the nation’s first public university. In 1897 it was given its decorative, temple-like form. In 1954, the well was reconstructed and the surrounding area beautified with landscaping and brick walkways. According to tradition, students should sip from the Old Well on the first day of class to bring them good luck in the coming months.

Cameron Ave., UNC campus, Chapel Hill www.unc.edu/about/landmarks.html