Pilgrimage to Penfield

Since the early 1900s, Mercer students have been making the 90-mile trip to Penfield to celebrate the founding of Mercer University. The Pilgrimage to Penfield, as the tradition is now called, has evolved over the years from a celebration for graduating seniors to an integral part of the Mercer freshman experience.

This year, 500 Mercer students, primarily freshmen, boarded buses on Oct. 8 to drive the same heritage trail that graduating seniors took in Model T cars in the early 1900s. The new Mercerians participated in a service at the original chapel, the same place that Mercer students sang the hymn “Faith of our Fathers” in 1960. And they observed a quiet moment at the grave of Jesse Mercer, much like the students did in 1950 following the direly-needed completion of the Penfield restoration. Closing out the Pilgrimage experience, students enjoyed a picnic and fireworks show on the grounds of the old campus.

“It gives them a sense of the roots of Mercer,” said Dr. Barry Jenkins, vice provost for institutional effectiveness and former longtime dean of students. “There is so much history there about when Mercer was at Penfield. And the organizing students developed a program that includes little scandals and student pranks that really have appealed to everyone.”

Much like other Mercer traditions, the Pilgrimage to Penfield was dormant during the late 1960s to the late 1980s. The focus on Vietnam and other social issues seemed to undermine student interest in the heritage and traditions of Mercer, Dr. Jenkins said.

“In the mid-1980s, Ferrol Sams published Whisper of the River,” Dr. Jenkins said. “It was the spark that got students interested. The more the students got interested in Whisper, the more the students got interested in traditions of the past. It was just fascinating.”

Lynn Creech Murphey, a 1990 graduate who served as vice president and president of the Student Government Association while at Mercer, recalls that there was increased interest in the University and the traditions during that period, but it was also a challenging time for the entire institution.

“We were voted as one of the Top 10 party schools by Playboy, we were moving from quarters to semesters, we were fighting with the Georgia Baptist Convention, and we had just taken over Tift College,” Murphey said. “Students wanted to participate and lead, and that led to the grassroots effort.”

The revival of Pilgrimage to Penfield initially started as a voluntary freshman exercise but quickly moved to a required part of the freshman orientation process, Dr. Jenkins said.

Beth White, a 2008 graduate and current Mercer law student, recalls thinking how surprised she was that the Mercer of today had grown from a place so small.

“There is not a whole lot there,” White said. “I thought it was interesting to see where it all began and to think about where Mercer is now.”

Penfield, which is located in rural Greene County, was the home of Mercer from 1833-1871. It was named after Josiah Penfield, a Savannah merchant, who challenged the Georgia Baptist Convention to match his $2,500 contribution and support an educational institution. The Convention, fueled primarily from Jesse Mercer’s financial contribution and leadership, met the challenge and opened Mercer Institute in 1833. It was renamed Mercer University in 1838.

Today, at Penfield, students participating in the Pilgrimage find the original University chapel, the foundation of the first University academic building, and a cemetery that includes the gravesites of Jesse Mercer, as well as a number of former University presidents, trustees and leaders.

Jordan Locke, current Mercer Student Government Association member and co-chair of the Heritage Life Committee, helps organize the event.“The trip means more and more to me each year.”