Betsy Barbour House. Photo courtesy: UM Student Life.
by Kaylie Wong
Stashed away behind the historic Trotter Multicultural Center, wedged in between the First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor and the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology on the booming road of State Street, stands a relatively small all-female dormitory known as the Betsy Barbour House.
The land on which this beautiful building exists, and the building itself, was a gift given to the University of Michigan by two-time UM Regent ("Bio: B") Levi L. Barbour, who was a Detroit lawyer, real estate developer, philanthropist, and double alumnus (1863 and 1865) (Rufus). (He even has a fountain in his honor, the Levi Barbour Memorial Fountain, on Belle Isle in Detroit ("Bio: B").)
Before World War I, Barbour traveled to multiple countries in Asia and eventually brought two brilliant women from China to the university in hopes to expand their knowledge and offer them a degree. However, at the time, living conditions provided by the university were unbearable and run down, therefore, soon after the two young women arrived on campus, one of them fell ill and died due to a case of tuberculosis (“Betsy Barbour Dormitory”). This was the main reason why Barbour donated such a large fund and piece of land to the school: to insure that an ideal women's dormitory was created.
Photo of Levi L. Barbour. Photo courtesy: Rackham Graduate School: University of Michigan
As a result, the Betsy Barbour Residence construction began in August of 1911. When the building was complete years later in October 1920, it was named after Levi Barbour’s mother Betsy. Wanting to honor his mother with more than the building being her namesake, he also ordered that his mother’s favorite wooden rocking chair be placed in a small reception room on the first floor. Much of the building’s original furniture (couches, lamps, chairs, etc.) came directly from the Barbours’ home in Detroit (“Betsy Barbour Dormitory”). Due to the use of real home furniture and architect Albert Kahn’s design, which includes traditional home-style features, the Betsy Barbour dorm was seen as a very open and relaxing environment for residents (Dodge). Even today, when one compares Betsy Barbour House to the larger, more standard dormitories on campus, such as Mary Markley Hall and Bursley Hall, you will see how the vision and environment of the two are vastly different. Betsy Barbour Residence exists as a quaint house nuzzled into a sliver between huge buildings, whereas the larger dormitories have a compact, brick building image. Another reason this dormitory stands out is for the small number of individuals allowed to live within the house. Holding originally 120 women, and now only 83, Betsy Barbour stands as one of the smallest resident buildings on campus (“Betsy Barbour”).
The last name Barbour "is an early medieval occupational surname for barber," coming from Old French from the Latin word "barbarius, a derivative of barba, beard," according to the Surname Database. BehindTheName.com, says Betsy is generally a nickname for Elizabeth, which comes from the Greek name Elisabet, a form of the Hebrew name Elisheva, meaning "God is my oath" (from the Hebrew words el (God) and shava (oath).
Also connected to the Barbour family name is UM’s prestigious Barbour Scholarship program, which was endowed by Levi Barbour in 1917 to support female graduate students from Asia and the Middle East. This program has crafted worldwide changes by offering academic opportunities to a multitude of women from different countries to further their academic excellence (Rufus). (Read more on the Barbour Scholarship's legacy for women at UM.) To Levi Barbour, college “prepares for a higher grade of life, a more worthy and complete life” (Barbour). He believed that earning and possessing an education is an extremely important tool for everyone to have, which is another reason why Levi Barbour sought to create the safe, healthy Betsy Barbour Residence for women. Much like the Barbour Scholarship program, the Betsy Barbour House has and will continue to exist as a historic and uplifting environment for female students, as they persevere through college living in this hidden gem.
Works Cited
Barbour, Levi L. College Training for Professional Men. R. Smith Print. Co., 1897.
"Betsy Barbour Dormitory." Bentley.umich.edu, bentley.umich.edu/legacy-support/campus_tour/betsybarbour.php.
“Betsy Barbour House.” UM Student Life, https://maps.studentlife.umich.edu/building/betsy-barbour-house. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023.
“Betsy Barbour.” Michigan Housing, https://housing.umich.edu/residence-hall/betsy-barbour/.
"Bio: B: Barbour, Levi L. and Levi Barbour Memorial Fountain." Monroe County Michigan Genealogy History Trails Group. http://genealogytrails.com/mich/monroe/bioB.html. Accessed 20 April 2023.
Dodge, Samuel. “Albert Kahn’s Designs Live throughout Ann Arbor and University of Michigan’s Campus.” MLive, 2023, https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2023/01/albert-kahns-designs-live-throughout-ann-arbor-and-university-of-michigans-campus.html. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.
"Elizabeth." Behind The Name. https://www.behindthename.com/name/elizabeth. Accessed 20 April 2023.
"Last Name: Barbour." The Surname Database. https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Barbour. Accessed 20 April 2023.
Photo of Levi L. Barbour. Rackham Graduate School: University of Michigan, https://rackham.umich.edu/rackham-life/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/barbour-scholars/history/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023.
Rufus, Carl. “History " Rackham Graduate School: University of Michigan.” Rackham Graduate School: University of Michigan, 15 Feb. 2023, https://rackham.umich.edu/rackham-life/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/barbour-scholars/history/#:~:text=A%20prominent%20Detroit%20lawyer%2C%20real,Michigan%20in%201863%20and%201865.