With the start of the Civil War in 1861,
Goethean Hall and Diagnothian Hall were used as hospitals for sick soldiers from nearby Camp Johnson, an emergency recruitment
camp northwest of Lancaster.On June 27, 1863, college officials closed
the Franklin and Marshall school year early in fear of the approaching Confederate armies. Many students immediately volunteered to help burn the bridge at Wrightsville, preventing a
Confederate advance across the Susquehanna River into Lancaster County.During the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1-3, 1863,
college president Rev. E.V. Gerhart organized a humanitarian trip to the nearby city with 20 students. For three days, the
students assisted with the medical efforts and ministered to the sick, wounded and dying soldiers and townfolk.In 1865, James Buchanan
resigned as President of the Board of Trustees, in part because of his unpopular term in the White House, which had ended in 1861.In 1872, the Franklin and Marshall Academy, an all-male prep school opened on campus. When it closed in 1943, it was the
last prep school in America to be directly affiliated with a college or
university. The Academy's first building, East Hall, was constructed in 1872. A second,
larger building, Hartman Hall, replaced it in 1907. Both buildings were used by the college
for various purposes after the Academy folded. Hartman Hall was demolished in 1975 and East
Hall followed in 1978.College Days, the first student newspaper, began publication in 1873. Later student newpapers included The College Student (1881-1914), The F&M Weekly
(1891-1915), The Student Weekly (1915-1964), The Blue and The White (1990-1992) and The College Reporter (1964-present).Oriflamme, the Franklin and Marshall College yearbook, was established in 1883.In 1887, the centennial celebration of Franklin College was held at the school. By then,
over 100 students were enrolled at F&M.1899 saw the formation of the college's first theatre group, the Franklin & Marshall Dramatic Association. The next year, it was renamed The Green Room Club.
The club performed plays at Lancaster's Fulton Opera House.
Because the college admitted only men, the female roles were played by local actresses. In 1937, the Green Room Theatre opened on campus. F&M alumni who have
performed on the Green Room stage include Oscar-winning film director
Franklin J. Schaffner and actors Roy Scheider and Treat
Williams.