Silliman Hall/Monday Doorways

Silliman Hall, built in 1903, is the oldest building at Silliman University in Dumaguete City.  This building serves as the university's Anthropology Museum.  Silliman U was the first American private school in the Philippines established by Presbyterians in 1901.

My contribution to Louis' Monday Doorways

Tranquil Silliman

university campus

I first heard of Silliman when I was a little girl in Negros Occidental. A local girl who also went to my elementary school got a scholarship at Silliman. One summer break when she was home, I overheard neighbors whispering about her midriff top. Apparently, the sight of her belly button was shocking to the manangs at that time. I admired her midriff top, by the way, and the way she drove a motorbike around town, belly button bared, crazy hair flying, making people stop and stare. She was once a shy girl, the manangs lamented...Silliman was the reason for her transformation, they concluded with an eyebrow raised.

It was my first impression of Silliman---a bastion of liberal thinking, individualism, with some remnants of the hippie generation.:D I wanted to go to college there! Unfortunately, we don’t always get what we want.

Rizal Centennial marker and university seal laid in 1960

Silliman University is located at the heart of Dumaguete, overlooking the sea. The 61-hectare campus was founded in 1901 by Protestant missionaries of the American Presbyterian Church through a gift from an American philanthropist named Dr. Horace Silliman. It is the first Protestant school in the Philippines and the oldest American university in Asia.

Silliman Hall, the oldest building on campus was constructed in 1903

the University Church, completed in 1949
Alumni Hall, built in 1950

The rooms on its second floor where we stayed are designated for alumni and guests, while the ground floor is occupied by the office of the Alumni Affairs.

Splendid Bell

Located in front of the Alumni Hall and mounted in 1918, this bell was a gift from children in America given through the New York Women's Foreign Mission Board.

Silliman University gives Dumaguete a vibrant and dynamic character despite the city’s laid back lifestyle. My lasting impressions of Silliman are the peaceful moments under the acacia trees, cool morning sea breezes at the beautiful Silliman Hall, warm smiles, and a memory of that fearless young lady on a motorbike---breaking free.

Sky Watch Friday: skywatching at Silliman

Skywatching from one of Dumaguete's historical landmarks---the Silliman Hall in Silliman University. The Silliman Hall is the first and oldest building on campus, built in 1903. The walls of this building were made from local coral blocks and solid iron posts. Designed like an old colonial mansion, this building commands a great view of Tanon Strait, Rizal Boulevard and Silliman Avenue.

During World War II, the Japanese Army occupied this building until the American forces came to Dumaguete. Today, Silliman Hall houses the ethno-anthropology museum where artifacts dating as far back as 2000 years ago are on exhibit. There is also an ethnographic collection retrieved from the tribal minorities of the Philippines.

More sky photos from around the world at Skywatch-Friday.