Take a look at other Old Wells
The iconic spot on Carolina’s campus is not the only representation around North Carolina.
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If you’re driving up U.S. Highway 1 into Aberdeen or U.S. Highway 258 Business into Kinston, expect to tap your brakes and turn your head, especially if you’re a Carolina fan. Both communities are home to full-scale replicas of the iconic Old Well. They don’t have lines of folks taking a sip on the first day of class like the original does, but these replicas of the Old Well still have strong ties to Carolina.
The McNeill Oil Company Old Well: Aberdeen, North Carolina
This version of the Old Well appears to be the oldest of the replicas and dates to 1969. Frank McNeill Sr. ’50 was a swim team member at Carolina and loved the University so much that the service station his company built in the 1960s was named for the Old Well. The replica McNeill had built featured glass between the columns and served as the service station’s office.
When self-serve gasoline became dominant in the 1970s, the Old Well Service Station closed, but the Old Well replica itself lived on.
It now sits in front of McNeill Oil Company and remains a frequent topic of conversation.
“People that have driven down or are avid Tar Heel fans, when they see it, they have to come in and just make a comment or ask, ‘Why is it here?’” Frank McNeill Jr. said. “From time to time, we do have to paint it and do some maintenance on it, but we’re definitely not going to ever let it go away. We’ve got to keep it looking good.”
Frank McNeill Jr. (right) and his cousin, Davis Clark (left).
The Harvey Beech Old Well: Kinston, North Carolina
When Kinston leaders wanted to honor one of their town’s most distinguished citizens in 1994, they decided to tip a hat to his beloved alma mater. Harvey Beech Park, named for Harvey Beech ’52, one of Carolina’s first Black graduates, features a full-scale replica of the Old Well, complete with a drinking fountain. Beech returned to his hometown after he graduated and spent his career serving the people of Kinston through his work as a lawyer, maintaining his strong Tar Heel ties all along the way.
Harvey Beech ’52 by the Old Well replica built in his honor in Kinston. (Dan Sears/UNC-Chapel Hill)
“In his honor and memory, members of our community dedicated this replica of the Old Well in his name,” said Chris Suggs ’21, a member of Kinston City Council. “I think it brings out the same emotions and Carolina pride that the one in Chapel Hill does. And the fact that, as Tar Heels, we look out for each other.”
The “Victory Well”: Vine Swamp, North Carolina
Just a few minutes down N.C. Highway 58 from the Harvey Beech Park Old Well is another Old Well replica. Greg Cauley ’76 shows his Tar Heel pride in dozens of ways, including attendance streaks at home football and men’s basketball games that date back to the ’70s and ’80s. But the ¾-scale Old Well replica he had built in his backyard may be the boldest of all. Cauley visited Chapel Hill with a tape measure to make sure his version of the Old Well was as close to the original as possible. Cauley’s Old Well has hosted photo shoots and neighborhood gatherings over the years, along with plenty of postgame celebrations. Cauley calls his version “The Victory Well,” but he enjoys looking at it so much that it lights up even on the occasions when the Tar Heels don’t win.
“There’s just a unique aesthetic to it,” Cauley said. “It’s nice to look at. Our Victory Well is always illuminated because it’s always a great day to be a Tar Heel.”
Greg Cauley ’76
“Sacred Dance and the Muses”: Morganton, North Carolina
You’ll need to look up to see this representation of the Old Well in the western part of the state. Renowned fresco artist Ben Long ’67 has often included nods to parts of his life story in his work, and “Sacred Dance and the Muses,” his masterpiece on the ceiling of the City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium is no exception. Represented alongside figures from Greek music and literature is the Old Well, a reference to Long’s time studying at Carolina. Completed in 2004, “Sacred Dance and the Muses” is one of many frescoes Long painted in North Carolina and the largest single-panel fresco in North America.
James Hildebrand, who’s held roles at CoMMA for decades, was present when the fresco was installed and remembers Long being excited about including the Old Well in his work.
“He’s a North Carolina native,” Hildebrand said of Long. “I think he felt like that was a good touch to be able to include a nod to his college. We get quite a few people that went to Chapel Hill in here, and they recognize it pretty quickly. It makes people happy to see something familiar.”
Ben Long ’67 painting “Sacred Dance and the Muses.” (submitted photo)
And, of course, Carolina’s Old Well is itself a version of another well-known structure. UNC President Edwin Alderman used the Temple of Love at Versailles as his inspiration when had the Old Well designed and constructed in 1897. Alderman’s goal was to add things of beauty to Carolina’s campus, and the Old Well he had in mind has accomplished just that for generations of Tar Heels.
