Series XI. College Hall and the College Hall Fire, 1881-circa 1915
Scope and Contents
Series XI. College Hall and the College Hall Fire (1881-circa 1915) consists of objects found in the ruins of College Hall after the 1914 March 17 College Hall Fire, including two keys and a belt buckle. Also includes other College Hall objects, such as a fragment of marble and of flooring from the hall, a glass paperweight with College Hall's image, and a stamp box with a College Hall design. Of note are two “Waste Not, Want Not” plates which were sold to alumnae to fundraise for reconstruction after the College Hall Fire.
Dates
- Creation: 1881-circa 1915
Creator
- From the Collection: Wellesley College (Organization)
- From the Collection: Durant, H. F. (Henry Fowle), 1822-1881 (Person)
- From the Collection: Durant, Pauline Adeline Fowle, 1832-1917 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research, but contains some material which has been restricted as per the Wellesley College Archives Access Policy: https://www.wellesley.edu/lts/policies/archivesaccess. To make an appointment to view unrestricted materials, please contact the Archives staff by email at archives@wellesley.edu or by phone at (781) 283-3745.
Biographical / Historical
College Hall was designed by architect Hammat Billings. It was constructed over four years, under the supervision of college founder Henry Fowle Durant. It was located on the north shore of Lake Waban. It had a main axis running east to west, intersected by three perpendicular wings. Each class was housed on a separate floor of College Hall, with seniors on the first floor. The building was lost in a fire that started in the early morning of March 17th, 1914. The occupants followed a well-practiced fire drill and no lives were lost. A cause of the fire has not been determine, although there has been much speculation, mostly suggesting an electrical fire.
[Information from: Glasscock, Jean, and Katharine Canby Balderston. Wellesley College, 1875-1975: a Century of Women. Wellesley College, 1975. Pages 340-348.]
Extent
From the Collection: 54.6 Linear Feet (24 boxes, 45 oversize boxes)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
From the Collection: Chinese
From the Collection: Greek, Ancient (to 1453)
From the Collection: German
Repository Details
Part of the Wellesley College Archives Repository