Over the years, the Freshman Union has been the scene of goldfish swallowings, food fights and ghosts. But, the Union's original benefactor, Major Henry Lee Higginson (class of 1855), never intended it to host any of these somewhat lowly activities. Nor, as a matter of fact, did he intend the Union to be a dining area or for it to be exclusively for freshmen.

Instead, he hoped his $150,000 donation in 1899 would provide a place where "all Harvard men will stand equal." In a speech that year, Higginson chastised the final clubs, saying "Through the old clubs, with their small membership and high expenses, have crept in habits of exclusiveness and luxury which hurt our democratic university." Higginson's Union was to be a social center for all Harvard students, as opposed to the elitism which pervaded the social clubs.

Always a thrifty man, Higginson was determined to get the most for his money. The Union was to serve the dual purpose of a social center for students and a war memorial to the seven Harvard men who died in the Spanish Civil War of 1898. All seven are listed above the entrance to the main dining area, and seventh man on the list, Sherman Hoar (class of 1887), is thought to be the model for the bust of John Harvard that adorns the Union's mantlepiece.

Over the years, the dark and foreboding building has assumed various other uses, but Higginson's social center has rarely been one of them. Perhaps this is what the old Major had in mind when he exhorted Harvard students to "change it, develop it, do with it what you will, just so as you keep its character."

In order to establish some of the character that Higginson wanted preserved, he wrote to Teddy Roosevelt (class of 1880) asking for a contribution. Roosevelt responded with two elk antler chandeliers, that still hang today, and more than 30 animal heads. Roosevelt wrote, "I hope that this small token will inspire the lads to the life of adventure to which I have become so attached."

Higginson's student center lasted just over a year. The Harvard Union was dedicated on October 15, 1901, and by September of 1902 dining facilities were added to the living room. By 1910, dining had taken over the living room completely, transforming it into today's dining hall.

With the introduction of the housing system in 1930, the Harvard Union became the Freshmen Union--a haunt for still wet-behind-the-ears Yardlings. The Union was to be for the freshmen what each of the houses are for the Upperclassmen--a place to eat, socialize, and kick back.

'Shmen Tricksters

Over the years, freshmen were not content to use the union simply for its culinary offerings. Several of the outrageous antics that Harvard became known for started in the union.

Legend has it that the famous "live goldfish swallowing," so popular among college students of the late '40s, began at the Freshman Union. Reportedly, two Harvard freshmen swallowed two live goldfish in full view of the class of '47, and from there, the fad swept the nation.

In 1961, the gun from the Spanish Civil War battleship "Harvard" that currently sits next to the phone booths downstairs fell prey to a prank. Black Professor of Economics C. Peter Timmer '63, then a sophomore, and several friends decided to give the gun a new home in the main dining hall, Timmer said. "We were quite proud of ourselves," Timmer said. "The thing must have weighed over half a ton." Timmer discourages other freshmen from attempting the same stunt, suggesting that, "there must be better pranks."

H. William Gannon, who has been head porter at the union since 1949, remembers the incident well. "I locked up the building at 10:30 p.m. that night, and figured everything was secure," he said, "but the next morning I came in to find the barrel staring me in the face. I made a few discrete inquiries and found out who did it, but when Harvard Police questioned me, I refused to divulge the name."

The pats of butter lining the 50-foot ceiling are another example of freshmen antics. But only a few freshmen today claim to know how the unused condiments got up there. Theories range from snapping serviettes to simply flinging the card-board squares skyward. Rob D. Smith '90 even suggests artificial levitants. "My guess is that helium balloons were used. You balance a pat of butter on the top of a balloon, and let it go. I don't think there's any other way," he said.

Katie Reify '90 adds that the butter adds "a summer camp atmosphere" to the Union. "[It's] so ridiculous and immature," she said.

The Spirit of Freshmen Past