WashU Student Film from 1916 Added to the National Film Registry
The Library of Congress has selected 25 films for the National Film Registry for 2025 due to their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation’s film heritage. Some films inducted include The Karate Kid, Ken Burns’ Oscar-nominated The Brooklyn Bridge, and White Christmas, which includes WashU alum and actress Mary Wickes as the innkeeper; University Archives holds the Mary Wickes Papers.
This year, one film from WashU Archives was inducted, The Maid of McMillan (1916), which is perhaps the earliest extant student film. It was written, acted, and directed by WashU amateur student filmmakers. The film centers on the budding romance of campus jock, Jack Tower, and the maid of the McMillan women’s dormitory, Myrtle Maroon, as they face young adulthood’s biggest moments: the big track meet, graduation, marriage, and an encounter with rogue highwaymen! The film includes rare footage of the Washington University campus; the road, then a dirt one, from St. Louis to Clayton; and a view of Forest Park from over a century ago.
From University Archivist Sonya Rooney: “What an honor to have our earliest student film receive this recognition. It has been a treasure to us; now more people will hear about this unique resource and be able to access, enjoy, and learn from it.”
WashU Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies, John Powers, said, “The Maid of McMillan is a charming film. Like many student productions, it offers a view of college life from the perspective of young adulthood: campus romance, athletic competition, graduation! But, of course, it was filmed in 1916, providing us with a rare glimpse into the lives of American college students over 100 years ago. WashU should be very proud that The Maid of McMillan is now in the National Film Registry.”
In 2020, Washington University Libraries’ Film & Media Archive, in collaboration with University Archives, received a National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF) Basic Preservation Grant to preserve and digitize The Maid of McMillan (1916). WashU Libraries used the grant to create new 16mm and 35mm negatives and prints, and a new 4K digital version. This has allowed us to present the film at screenings, online, and in university classes.