Uploaded February 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The year is 1916, and at Washington University in St. Louis students are gearing up for Univee Surkus, a fair to raise money for the swimming pool fund. At this precursor to our modern-day Thurtene Carnival, student groups host booths that offer entertainment at a dime or 15 cents. Thyrsus Drama Club usually stages a play, but this year they're putting together a silent film for the event. The result is “The Maid of McMillan,” which combines comedy, love, heroics and, of course, a happy ending.
Now, more than 100 years after the “two-reel thriller” was filmed, the university is restoring “The Maid of McMillan” to its original format and digitizing it with a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation. Audiences today may find the story as “utterly charming” as one co-ed did back in 1916, but the shots of campus, students and St. Louis from yesteryear are just as compelling. Check out the trailer and check back with https://library.wustl.edu/spec/themaidofmcmillan/ to find out where you can catch a screening.
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About Washington University in St. Louis:
Washington University is a leader in research, scholarship and patient care. Through our world-class faculty, students, physicians, staff, alumni and friends, WashU brings us closer to the knowledge that matters and the stories that inspire us to change the world.
Get more from Washington University:
Official site: https://wustl.edu
The Source: https://source.wustl.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/wustl
Instagram: instagram.com/wustl_official/?hl=en
The year is 1916, and at Washington University in St. Louis students are gearing up for Univee Surkus, a fair to raise money for the swimming pool fund. At this precursor to our modern-day Thurtene Carnival, student groups host booths that offer entertainment at a dime or 15 cents. Thyrsus Drama Club usually stages a play, but this year they're putting together a silent film for the event. The result is “The Maid of McMillan,” which combines comedy, love, heroics and, of course, a happy ending.
Now, more than 100 years after the “two-reel thriller” was filmed, the university is restoring “The Maid of McMillan” to its original format and digitizing it with a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation. Audiences today may find the story as “utterly charming” as one co-ed did back in 1916, but the shots of campus, students and St. Louis from yesteryear are just as compelling. Check out the trailer and check back with https://library.wustl.edu/spec/themaidofmcmillan/ to find out where you can catch a screening.
→Subscribe: bit.ly/WashUSubscribe
About Washington University in St. Louis:
Washington University is a leader in research, scholarship and patient care. Through our world-class faculty, students, physicians, staff, alumni and friends, WashU brings us closer to the knowledge that matters and the stories that inspire us to change the world.
Get more from Washington University:
Official site: https://wustl.edu
The Source: https://source.wustl.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/wustl
Instagram: instagram.com/wustl_official/?hl=en
