William Brewster Budd, Honorary Degree Recipient

Mrs. Wheaton called this the “Double House” when she rented it to two families. She then left it to Wheaton College in her will. King Cottage was the infirmary from 1908 to 1954, when it was remodeled into three faculty… Read More »

The Reverend Arcturus Z. Conrad speaks at commencement.

Ida Josephine Everett taught English and psychology from 1906 to 1913 and English literature from 1912 to 1928. She was the first dean of the College from 1912 to 1921. A native of Walpole, she graduated from Mount Holyoke College,… Read More »

Reverend George Hodges, dean of the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, speaks at commencement for a second time.

Emerson and Larcom Halls were both designed by Ripley & Russell and built in 1908. Emerson Dining Hall appeared in Good Housekeeping Magazine as one of the most beautiful dining halls in the U.S. Originally Emerson had an attractive open… Read More »

Designed by Ripley and Russell, this dormitory and Emerson Dining Hall were both built in 1908. During the 1938 hurricane part of the cornice was blown off, and the rest was taken down over the Christmas vacation. As a result,… Read More »

Talcott Williams, director of the school of journalism at Columbia University, speaks at commencement.

The green between Chapin, Larcom, and Emerson Dining Hall, created in 1908, was for many years the site for outdoor basketball games. Games at the time, played with a peach basket mounted on a pole (no backboard), resulted in scores… Read More »

Reverend Edward Cummings of South Church in Boston, MA, speaks at commencement.

Sarah Belle Young, professor of English, registrar and secretary to the faculty from 1909 to 1946, is awarded an honorary degree. Miss Young experienced many changes at Wheaton, having arrived in the days of the Seminary and its many restrictions.… Read More »

Dr. LeBaron R. Briggs, President of Radcliffe College, speaks at Commencement.

Trustees vote to change the name of Seminary Hall to Mary Lyon Hall.

As part of his plan to change Wheaton from a seminary to college, President Cole writes to Gertrude Cornish, a former Wheaton teacher, suggesting that she open a private secondary school for girls in a large house just east of… Read More »

This house on the corner of East Main and Howard Streets was acquired by the Seminary in 1911 from D. Gregory. An older house on the site burned in 1877 while it was owned by Mrs. Wheaton. In 1986 the… Read More »

This building was built as a science and assembly hall in 1911. It was the first classroom building to be constructed at Wheaton since the additions made to Mary Lyon Hall in 1878. A wing added in 1941 to provide… Read More »

This residence hall was built in 1911, designed by Ripley & Russell as a companion building to Larcom Hall. It was named for Mary Jane Cragin, a Seminary teacher of mathematics, natural science, mental philosophy, and general literature from 1851… Read More »

Dr. David Snedden, the Massachusetts Commissioner of Education, speaks at Commencement.

Wheaton Seminary is granted a college charter by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and becomes Wheaton College.

The senior hoop roll is one of Wheaton College’s most familiar and longstanding traditions. Based on a popular children’s game of the 19th century, Wheaton’s event is reserved for graduating seniors on Class Day, and dates back to 1912.

Baby parties, the first of which occurred in 1912, celebrated the rise from Junior to Senior status. They provided a chance to “let down one’s hair” — literally — and be silly one last time, before becoming a more sedate… Read More »