Chamberlin Rock: a Painful Symbol of Racism Removed from UW-Madison Campus

On August 6, the University of Wisconsin—Madison removed the former Chamberlin Rock, a more than 2-billion-year old boulder that has sat at the crest of Observatory Hill on campus since 1925.

The Wisconsin Black Student Union, in partnership with Wunk Sheek, an Native American student organization, led the effort to remove the rock. The University Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor commented, “In the midst of demands for justice following George Floyd’s murder last summer, the students wanted change on campus and they worked hard to see this through. While the decision required compromise, I’m proud of the student leaders and the collaboration it took to get here.” The removal of the rock signifies the university’s dedication to advancing social and racial justice on campus.

A crane sit ready to lift the Chamberlin Rock (UW-Madison News)

Original Newspaper with A Racial Slur | (Wisconsin Historical Society. Wisconsin Local History & Biography Articles; "The Wisconsin State  Journal"; "Madison", "Wisconsin"; "October 9, 1925"

What is Chamberlin Rock?

The rock is a rare remaining example of pre-Cambrian era glacial erratics. According to the UW-Madison News, the rock was designated as a monument on campus in 1925 in honor of Thomas Thomas Chamberlin, a renowned geologist who served as the president of the University of Wisconsin from 1887 to 1892. The plaque on the rock honoring Chamberlin has been removed and a new one will be placed on Chamberlin Hall.

Why was the Chamberlin Rock Removed?

The rock was associated with an extremely offensive terminology. On October 9, 1925, the rock was referred to in the Wisconsin State journal headline by a derogatory nickname that included a racial slur. The term was commonly used to refer to any large, dark rock at the time. The phrase fell out of common usage by the 1950s and historians have not found evidence that the term was used by the university in any capacity.

Nevertheless, the term witnessed a historical past when the KKK were present in the Madison area, where “people of color were mocked in minstrel shows at campus facilities and in campus satiric periodicals,” according to the report from YourTango.

The rock sat within catalogued burial sites, which are protected under Wisconsin’s Burial Sites Preservation Law. The university worked closely with the Wisconsin Historical Society to assure minimal disturbance to the sacred burial sites nearby. The Society approved the removal permit on August 2 after seeking inputs from various stakeholders.

The Removal of Racist Legacies

Since June 2020, historic preservation and architectural organizations nationwide have joined a movement to call for the removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces, following the death of George Floyd. Many believe that Confederate monuments are proclamations of white supremacy, thus should be abhorrent to all Americans. Some wondered, Does removing a Confederate monument mean you’re erasing history? In support of the movement, the National Trust for Historic Preservation replied:

No. History is not that fragile. History is written in our buildings, landscapes, documents, objects, oral traditions, individual memories, and many other places, as well as in monuments in public spaces. To the contrary, left standing without appropriate context, these monuments promote a false and damaging narrative. When removed, these monuments can provide an even deeper understanding of history in other venues, such as museums, that can offer fuller and more inclusive context around the people, events, and ideologies that led to the monuments’ creation, and their relationship to present-day issues.

The Robert E. Lee Statue on Monument Avenue in Richmond has become a focal point of protests against racial injustice | (John McDonnell/The Washington Post, June 10, 2020)

Following the nationwide reckoning of racial justice and equity, some higher education institutions also took actions to cut ties with their racist legacies, such as reconsidering and removing the names of campus buildings and monuments that memorialized white supremacists. For example, the University of Virginia’s statue of Revolutionary War figure Roger Clark was removed from its campus. The University of California—Berkeley removed the names of two buildings, LeConte Hall and Barrows Hall, both are affiliated with figures who held deep racist views.

UW-Madison’s removal of the Chamberlin Rock is a part of this nation-wide movement to remove Confederate monuments and to build anti-racist campus among higher education institutions.

Madison Updates 1971 Landmarks Ordinance

The city of Madison has adopted a revised historic preservation ordinance after several years of review by the city's Landmarks Commission and a committee of alders. A full review of the ordinance was undertaken by the Landmarks Commission in 2011 after a high-profile and controversial redevelopment project caused bitter negotiations and competing interpretations of the ordinance as it move through the approval process. Then, in 2014, another development proposal in the Mansion Hill Historic District, the state's first locally-designated historic district, was met with stiff opposition from neighborhood residents who saw the redevelopment of a dilapidated house as a reward for demolition-by-neglect. These proposals revealed weaknesses in the language of the 1971 ordinance, and city officials pressed for a full review of the ordinance.

A new residential development being built (2014) in the Langdon Street Historic District.

The 4-year review process came to fruition this week as Madison's 20-member Common Council unanimously adopted a revised ordinance. Supporters of the new ordinance registering and testifying at the meeting included representatives from the preservation community, and the development community. They unanimously praised the review committee, city staff, and the process. 

The biggest change to the ordinance was the adoption of maintenance standards for designated properties. The new ordinance creates a legal obligation on property owners to properly maintain historic properties. It defines demolition-by-neglect and provides significant penalties for violating the ordinance.

The key revisions to the ordinance include:

• Clarifying the process destination and recession of Landmark status

• Augmented the list of standards that the Landmarks Commission should consider including hen designating a new historic district.

• Adding definitions for several key terms used in regulating alterations and new construction in historic districts

• Redefined what relates visually to designated historic properties for use in evaluating new construction

• Clarifying the provision that allows appeals of a Landmarks Commission decision, while maintaining the 2/3 super-majority required to overrule the Commission. 

• Clarifying the  circumstances under which owners can apply for a variance from the ordinance standards. 

Overall, the new ordinance strikes an appropriate balance between the city's interests in conserving historic cultural resources, and in re-densification and redevelopment. 

There will be a second phase of the revisions that will review the standards in each of Madison's five historic districts designated under the ordinance. 

A Tribute to UW Professor Emerita Jane N. Graff

Jane N. Graff's life's work had been to provide program support to UW Extension Faculty as a professor in the Department of Related Art within the University of Wisconsin School of Home Economics (currently known as the School of Human Ecology). She worked in this capacity for 32 years, following which she received professor emerita status.

Beginning her career with the University in 1959, Professor Graff lived "the Wisconsin Idea" through her to outreach to Wisconsin families by way of newsletters, radio, television and other media. Her principal focus was the home environment and its impact on the Wisconsin family. By the 1970s her passion for textiles led to her work with 4-H groups in textile design and fueled her research into historic quilts. She was deeply involved with the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection in the School of Human Ecology. In fact, her commitment to the collection is reflected in her endowment of a position for a research assistant to work with the materials.

Professor Graff passed away on August 7, 2008 at the age of 81. In death, she demonstrated the same generosity that characterized her life. Her generous bequest to the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation, Inc. has been the central impetus behind the current revitalization of the organization. As we carry the mission of the Wisconsin Trust forward, Professor Graff always will remain an inspiration for her dedication and generosity.

Photograph of Professor Jane Graff (1972)
working with UW-Extension group courtesy of
University of Wisconsin Archives.