Quadrangle and Burnham Circle
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The quadrangle of Burnham Circle is important for a number of reasons: upon the site are Civil War entrenchments used during the Battle of Springfield on January 8, 1863; across the southern end and along the eastern side of the site ran the "Old Wire Road" or the "Old Ridge Road" between Springfield and St. Louis; and adjacent to the southern edge of the site, where Bay Hall is currently located, was Springfield's original "colored school." The quadrangle of Burnham Circle has been a dominating feature in the evolution of the campus. The campus evolved along the western edge of this quadrangle northward from Stone Chapel between 1873 and 1900. Simultaneously, the surrounding neighborhood continued to develop around the campus, with a number of stores and homes being located along the eastern side of the "Old Wire Road," or the current Drury Lane. During the first quarter of the 20th century, the college began to develop along the eastern side of Drury Lane with the construction of Springfield Hall and on the northern side of the quadrangle with Harwood Hall. Today, Burnham Circle is the physical, social, and historical center of the campus. The remnants of the Civil War entrenchments are still clearly discernable as undulating earth berms at the southwest corner of the quad.
Clippenger, Frank W. The Drury Story. Springfield, MO: Drury University, 1982.