Image: State of Florida Archives

47th Catalogue. Florida State College, p. 137.

Image: Florida State University Libraries

1901 - 1905: The Florida State Seminary West of the Suwannee River changes its name to the Florida State College in 1901.

Image: Florida State University Libraries

1897 - 1905: The Platonic Debating Society was founded by students of the Florida Seminary West of the Suwanne River on December 17th, 1897. As such, it was the first iteration of the over 120 year history of academic debate at Florida State University.

Image: Florida State University Libraries

1900-1905: In 1900, a group of members split off from the Platonic Debating Society to form the Anaxagorean Literary Society. In February of 1904, the Anaxagorean was succeeded by the Gordon Literary Society.

Image: Florida State University Libraries

Public debates were open to the public and often held in Munro's Opera House, the site of the first intercollegiate debate in the state of Florida.

Image: Florida Memory

Public debates were often held in Munro's Opera House to accommodate crowds of 300 or more.

Image: Florida Memory