The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

H Pond

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H Pond (rescanned), Howard Payne University

Institution Name: Howard Payne University
Original/Historic Place Name: H Pond
Location on Campus: in Old Main Park
Date(s) of Construction:

1920	original construction Winebrenner, O. E.

Designer: O. E. Winebrenner
Type of Place: Landscape site
Style: (Glossary)
Significance: culture, education, landscape
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Function:

ca. 1920	other (maintained specimens collected by the biology teacher to be used in class)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	outdoor space

Narrative:
"H" Pond was built in 1920 by Dr. O. E. Winebrenner, Professor of Natural Sciences, and his students. It was built in the shape of an "H"; plans to add a "P" and "C" were never realized.
The pond was originally used to store biological specimens caught by Winebrenner in the nearby Pecan Bayou for use as dissecting specimens, since these were costly and hard to obtain at this time. The pond was considered a holding pond until the frogs, fish, etc., were needed in class, and the pond originally had partitions to separate the specimens.

Soon after its completion, upperclass students began routinely dunking freshman in the pong, thus establishing a long-standing tradition on campus. Today the pond holds fish and is for aesthetic purposes only.

References:

The Link: Alumni Magazine. Howard Payne University, Brownwood, TX.

The Yellow Jacket, [n.d.]. Howard Payne University, Brownwood, TX.