1930s
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1836-1934 Old Metcalf Hall / Boarding House
January 19, 2011The first, and until 1901 the only, dormitory at Wheaton, the Boarding House was begun in 1836, "talked into existence" by Mary Lyon, encouraged by Eliza Baylies Wheaton. Until its construction, students boarded with the Wheaton families and with other families in Norton Center. The original boarding house, named in memory of Caroline Metcalf, principal from 1850-1876, in 1901, was demolished in 1932-33. A dormitory replacing it in 1933 was again named in her memory. More » -
1884- Hebe Statue
November 12, 2010Mrs. Wheaton gave the original lead statue and fountain of Hebe, the "cupbearer to the gods," to the Seminary for its fiftieth anniversary in 1884. In the fall of 1932 Hebe was moved to the courtyard created by the new Kilham and Metcalf dormitories. The current bronze statue was dedicated in 1982. More » -
1894-1938 Arboretum/ College Pines/ Seminary Woods
January 17, 2011Known as Seminary Woods, and later as College Pines, this area was a favorite destination for student walks. Graduating classes have been donating trees and other plantings to the College since at least 1903. More » -
1913 Grace F. Shepard
April 18, 2011Grace F. Shepard was a member of the English Department from 1913 to 1940 and author of Reference History of Wheaton College (1931). More » -
1922 Agnes Riddell
March 9, 2011Agnes Riddell was a Professor of Romance Languages from 1922-1940. Miss Riddell was Acting Dean from 1923 to 1925, and Professor Emerita from 1940 until her death in 1950. More » -
1926-1944 John Edgar Park
January 13, 2011The Reverend John Edgar Park (1879-1956) became president in 1926. Wheaton's growth and vitality during Park's presidency is particularly noteworthy: student enrollment increased steadily and the building program begun by President Cole continued. J. Edgar Park retired in 1944 at the age of 65 and was named President Emeritus. More » -
1926 Edith M. White
April 18, 2011Edith M. White was a Professor of Economics from 1926 to 1930 and Dean of Freshman from 1929 to 1935. More » -
1930 Mrs. Mayo D. Hersey speaks at Commencement
February 7, 2011Mrs. Mayo D. Hersey speaks at Commencement. More » -
1931 Nursery school founded
November 19, 2010The Nursery School is founded by Professor of Psychology and Education Dr. Elizabeth Wheeler Amen. More » -
1931-1995 14 Taunton Ave./ Oceans View
February 7, 2011Acquired in 1931, the house was remodeled into a two-family residence in 1932, using many fixtures and lumber taken from the demolished portion of Old Metcalf Hall. A porch was added in 1935. The barn was renovated into a practice, or "Little" Theater in 1932. The house was used for faculty housing until 1995. Oceans View was demolished during the summer of 1995 to accommodate the 1996 construction of a new Norton Medical Center established by Attleboro's Sturdy Memorial Hospital. It incorporates the Wheaton Health Center. More » -
1931- Alumnae Guest House/ Old Nursery School
February 15, 2011Built in 1931 entirely by college workmen under the direction of Mr. Cutler in cooperation with the Education and Psychology Departments, the Nursery School cost $10,400. The Nursery School was enlarged in 1937, when a one-way vision observation screen was installed. After the modern Elisabeth Amen Nursery School opened in 1966, the History Department offices were housed in the old school until the Social Science departments moved to Knapton Hall in 1971. At that time, the former nursery school was converted into the Alumnae Guest House. The building is currently used for housing students or language associates. More » -
1931 Marjorie Hope Nicolson speaks at Commencement
February 7, 2011Marjorie Hope Nicolson, Dean of Smith College, speaks at Commencement. More » -
1932 Flying club organized
November 19, 2010A Flying Club is organized by Edna Fishman. More » -
1932- Kilham Hall
February 2, 2011Kilham Hall, designed by Cram and Ferguson, was built in the winter and spring of 1932 on the site of the west wing of Old Metcalf Hall. In 1933, when New Metcalf Hall was constructed, the two dormitories were connected via Hebe Parlors. Kilham Hall opened in the fall of 1932. Kilham was named named for Annie March Kilham, class of 1870. Miss Kilham took a class in teaching at Wheaton in 1869-70, and remained at the Seminary to teach Latin, English, German, Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, and Astronomy from 1870 to 1875 and in 1885-86. A founding member of the Alumnae Association formed by the Class of 1870 at their graduation, Miss Kilham was the president of the New England Wheaton Club and president of the Alumnae Association. A Trustee from 1897 to 1931, Miss Kilham was only the third woman to serve as a Wheaton Trustee. More » -
1932 Dr. William Trufant Foster speaks at Commencement
February 7, 2011Dr. William Trufant Foster, former president of Reed College, speaks at Commencement. More » -
1933- Hebe Parlors/ Hebe Court
February 2, 2011Containing a series of parlors, Hebe Parlors connected through arched doorways with Metcalf and Kilham Halls. The thirteen parlors, in which students could entertain their guests (especially men!), were named to commemorate dates and people important to Wheaton Seminary and the halls of Old Metcalf: Laban, 1835, Seventh Heaven, Tragedy, Comedy, Seminary, Eliza, 1933, Purgatory, Paradise, Broadway, and Boarding House. In 1947, Hebe was remodeled into three small faculty apartments, and during the 1980s into offices. In 1989/90, a small apartment was created for an Area Coordinator, but was converted back to an office in the 1990s and back into an apartment after 2000. More » -
1933- Metcalf Hall, New
February 2, 2011Metcalf and Hebe opened in Febrary 1933, despite the deepening Great Depression. The continuing construction at Wheaton was possible because of Mrs. Wheaton's bequest to the College. Part of Metcalf's basement was used for a smoking room, and the dormitory also had a guest room. This residence hall replaced Old Metcalf Hall. It was connected to Kilham via Hebe Parlors. The New Metcalf Hall was named in honor of Mrs. Caroline Cutler Metcalf, Principal of the Seminary from 1850 to 1876. More » -
1933 Sophie Chantal Hart speaks at Commencement
February 7, 2011Sophie Chantal Hart, Professor at Wellesley College, speaks at Commencement. More » -
1934 Dr. Mary E. Woolley is an Honorary Degree Recipient
February 21, 2011Dr. Mary E. Woolley, President of Mount Holyoke College, is an Honorary Degree Recipient. More » -
1934- Park Hall
January 18, 2011The administration building, designed by the architectural firm of Cram and Ferguson, was built in 1934 on the site of the southeast wing of Old Metcalf Hall. The building remained unnamed until its re-dedication in 1954 in honor of the Rev. John Edgar Park, President of Wheaton from 1926 to 1944. More » -
1934 Madeleine Clark Wallace
April 4, 2011Madeleine Clark Wallace was a member of the class of 1934. The Madeleine Clark Wallace Library was named in her honor on her 50th reunion in 1984. More » -
1934 Alan Chester Valentine speaks at Commencement
February 7, 2011Alan Chester Valentine, the Chairman of the Board of Admissions at Yale University, speaks at Commencement. More » -
1935 Centennial celebrated
November 19, 2010Wheaton celebrates its Centennial at Commencement, with two days of festivities. More » -
1935-1962 Little Theatre
February 7, 2011The barn in back of Oceans View (14 Taunton Avenue) was renovated into a practice, or "little," theatre in 1935. Little Theatre was demolished in 1962 when Watson Fine Arts Center was built. More » -
1935- Loft/ Cage
February 9, 2011This lower level addition to the Doll's House was originally built in 1935 as a small gym, and was called "The Cage." More » -
1935- Hollyhock House
February 10, 2011Edith M. White, Professor of Economics from 1926 to 1930 and Dean of Freshman from 1929 to 1935, built this house in 1929. Miss White bequeathed "Hollyhock House" to the College in 1935. This house was occupied by the Dean of the College for many years and then by the Dean of Students. More » -
1935 Reverend Dr. John Edgar Park speaks at Commencement
February 7, 2011Reverend Dr. John Edgar Park, Wheaton College President, speaks at Commencement. More » -
1936- Potato Cellar
February 7, 2011Built into the hillside east of the Doll's House, the cellar was used to store large quantities of potatoes raised on college land in the mid 1930s. The original statue of Hebe was kept here in the 1970s, and it is still used for storage. More » -
1936- 46-48 East Main St./ Oldfield House
February 9, 2011Purchased from Mr. Oldfield in 1936, the house at 46-48 East Main St. was remodelled and extended in 1937 to house two married faculty families. A large barn and other small outbuldings were demolished at that time. In a 1936 chapel talk, Pres. Park said about the Oldfield House, "the story is that when Laban M. Wheaton got engaged he started this house during his father's absence...and without his consent, and that there was a terrific scene when the old gentleman returned and found a house being erected upon his land." More » -
1936 Christopher Morley speaks at Commencement
February 7, 2011Christopher Morley, author and critic, speaks at Commencement. More » -
1937 William E. Hocking speaks at Commencement
February 7, 2011William E. Hocking, Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University, speaks at Commencement. More » -
1937- Pike Memorial Bird Feeder
February 7, 2011A granite bench and a bird-feeding station, designed by Ralph Adams Cram, were installed at the northeast corner of the Library in 1937. Its stand recalls Chinese bracketed supports, whereas the acroteria on its roof are Classical motifs; the copper roof and ball finial are more typical of Colonial Revival designs. In 1937, alumnae donated the bird-feeding station and a small endowment for seed in memory of Miss Pike. Donations came from the Class of 1901 and all classes between 1868 and 1905. Ralph Adams Cram spoke at the dedication of the memorial he had designed, on class day, 19 June 1937. More » -
1938 Competition to build a modern fine arts center
November 19, 2010A competition to design a modern fine arts center is sponsored by Wheaton College, the Museum of Art, and Architectural Forum. More » -
1938- College Green houses
February 15, 2011During the mid-1930s, seeking to improve accommodations for its women faculty, the College planned a small housing development in back of Barrows House. Two houses were built on College Green entirely by college workmen, using lumber milled from Wheaton trees downed in the 1938 hurricane. But their construction was deemed too expensive. Ultimately, World War II interrupted building, which was not resumed at this location after the war. More » -
1938 Dr. Helen Wieand Cole speaks at Commencement
February 7, 2011Dr. Helen Wieand Cole, widow of Samuel Valentine Cole, speaks at Commencement. More » -
1939 Allan Nevins speaks at Commencement
February 7, 2011Allan Nevins, Professor of History at Columbia University, speaks at Commencement. Read more about Allan Nevins at Wikipedia and Columbia University. More » -
1946-1909 Sarah Belle Young
March 21, 2011Sarah Belle Young was Professor of English, Registrar, and Secretary to the Faculty from 1909 to 1946 (Registrar Emerita, 1946-1973). In 1946, she was awarded as an Honorary Degree Recipient. Miss Young experienced many changes at Wheaton, having arrived in the days of the Seminary, with all of its strict rules. She served as Registrar [...] More » -
1964-1939 Richard P. Chapman
March 23, 2011Richard P. Chapman was a member of the Board of Trustees from 1939 to 1970, and its chairman from 1947 to 1964. Mr. Chapman was the Director of New England Merchants Bank and a trustee of many other institutions. More » -
1972-1931 Dr. Ernest John Knapton
March 21, 2011Member of the history department from 1931 to 1969, and Professor Emeritus from 1969 to 1989, Dr. Knapton was educated at the University of British Columbia, Oxford University (where he was a Rhodes Scholar) and Harvard University. More »
