Tucked away on the Circle between Peabody Hall and Bryant Hall sits one of the oldest buildings on the University of Mississippi campus — Fulton Chapel. Built and completed in 1927, Fulton Chapel has served as a home for the performing arts and a vessel for educational pursuits.
The chapel hosts many of the UM’s theater productions as well as orientation sessions, guest speakers and sometimes academic classes. While there is no denying the significance of the building to many students today, not many know about the building’s origins.
Robert Burwell Fulton, Fulton Chapel’s namesake, was born on April 8, 1849, in Sumter County, Ala. He attended UM and graduated in 1869, earning a bachelor’s degree with highest honors. However, his time at the university did not conclude upon his graduation.
Fulton returned to the university in 1871 to serve as a tutor in both physics and astronomy. Prior to this, he taught in both Louisiana and Alabama. In only a few years’ time at the university, Fulton earned quite a reputation. After receiving a master’s degree, Fulton became a full-time professor, and he served as UM’s seventh chancellor from 1892 to 1906.
Because of Fulton’s dedication to his duties as both professor and chancellor, the university thrived in multiple ways. With Fulton’s oversight, the university gained running water, telephones, steam heat and fully functioning sewer systems. Aside from those convenient modernizations, Fulton helped to bring the schools of engineering, medicine and education to UM.
Junior theater major Maxwell Glasser showed great appreciation for what the facility has meant to him as a performer in his time at the university.
“I have been able to perform in (Fulton) twice,” Glasser said. “Both shows were incredibly memorable and special to me.”
Glasser starred in the university’s 2022 production of “Into the Woods,” as well as last year’s “Little Shop of Horrors.”
“The space has created a lot of special memories for me and I will never forget performing in that special building,” Glasser said. “Fulton is a historic place and it’s been an honor to be able to work there.”
