Rarely is the evidence of history so grand in scale while remaining virtually unknown, as the sites on south campus at The University of Memphis.
Today, remnants of the past are still visible on the sprawling 250-acre campus, which is located approximately one mile southwest of main campus at Getwell and Park.
Jim Hellums, assistant vice president of the physical plant and planning department said it (south campus) is a fascinating place.
"It is amazing how little is known about the history of the property," Hellums said.
Within the last 60 years, the property has been home to a bustling hospital, prisoners of war and a nuclear reactor.
In the decades since, The U of M has acquired the property and absorbed many of the historical landmarks into its educational infrastructure, leaving a mingled assortment of artifacts from the past and evidence of progression towards the future.
"I do not know much about the history of the campus, but it is strange to see all of the old buildings surrounding new athletic complexes," Todd Swanton, a student majoring in business administration, said.
Although the historical evidence of the campus is relatively obvious at a glance, few people realize the historical significance of the grounds that many walk upon on a daily basis.
While south campus is a mere fragment of what it once was, the buildings that have survived the test of time all contain a glimpse into the past, and in many instances, have a story to tell.
"To me, the property has both personal and historical value," Hellems said. "My father was a patient at the hospital, and I can still remember walking the long corridors of the hospital as a child."
Hellems added that at one time, a person could walk through the entire complex without ever going outdoors.
"All the buildings were once connected by long corridors," Hellems said. "It was like an 11 mile hallway."
The buildings currently utilized by the speech and audiology department, wildlife biology and ecology departments and the heating plant, to name a few, were built in the 1940s, and were an integral part of one of the largest and best equipped hospitals in the country at the time.
As war raged on during World War II, wounded soldiers from every battlefield where Americans fought, were brought to the massive Kennedy Veterans Hospital for treatment.
Subsequently, the road formerly known as Shotwell was changed (for obvious reasons) to Getwell, a road traveled by many students every day.
The now quiet and sparsely populated educational institution that currently resides at the location was once a complex composed of 116 buildings, employed 3,400 Mid-Southerners and treated nearly 25,000 wounded soldiers during its lifetime.
The University also leases many of the old buildings to various businesses.
Today, relics of the old hospital can still be seen when walking through the old buildings. Rooms of the hospital that once contained a neuron generator, X-ray equipment and operation tables to treat and conduct research on cancer, now contain numerous dangerous reptiles, including three alligators and an assortment of poisonous snakes.
"It's ironic, but the thick walls that once shielded radiation make a good home for my reptiles," said Bill Gutzke, an associate professor of biology. "It's very secure."
In addition to treating American soldiers, the complex was also utilized as a holding facility for German and Italian prisoners of war.
One of the most enduring images that has been preserved from the site is a Walt Disney mural painted by a German soldier to pass the time during his imprisonment.
The mural was transplanted from a building at the former VA hospital to The University's elementary campus school in 1997 to ensure that its historical value and irony will be remembered and to bring joy to the children that inhabit the school.
"It's pretty strange to see a painting that symbolizes peace and harmony, and know that is was painted during WW II by a Nazi prisoner of war," said Tommy Pierce, a student majoring in management information systems.
Most recently, during the 1970s and early 80s, The U of M implemented a nuclear physics program to aid in the advancement of harnessing atomic energy.
Complete with an active nuclear reactor, seven-inch thick steel doors and flashing red lights, the research that was conducted in the building was once part of a nationwide effort to study the immense power of nuclear energy, according to Lewis B. O'Kelley, a retired physics professor that was involved in the program.
Today, the biohazard signs are covered with dust and the nuclear control panel is in shambles, but the aura of the cold war can still be felt in the room.
The program generated nearly $7 million a year for The U of M, but was suddenly terminated in 1984, five years after the nuclear "meltdown" at Pennsylvania's Three-Mile Island, according to O'Kelley.
"The University came in, gave two weeks notice and terminated the employment of nearly everyone in the program," O'Kelley said.
O'Kelley added that the reactor was dismantled shortly thereafter.
Sharing the same fate as the nuclear program, much of the former bustling hospital has been demolished, paving the way for The U of M to build athletic complexes and buildings to better facilitate the property.
According to university officials, plans to renovate many historic buildings have been slotted for future consideration, pending funding from the state and budget allotment from The U of M.
Further, new facilities are also being planned to be built on the site.
Although the buildings are virtually saturated with historical treasures, their fate, for the time being, is shrouded by uncertainty.
