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August 20 – September 3, 2015
THE ACADIA PAGE WHAT’S GROWING AT THE HARRIET IRVING BOTANICAL GARDENS:Beyond Blossoms Melanie Priesnitz
Maidenhair fern, Photo by M. Priesnitz One of the most common questions we get at the Botanical Gardens is "where are all the flowers?" The Gardens are designed to showcase the beauty and diversity within the native flora of the Acadian Forest Region. We are so much more than just a pretty flower garden! We do have hundreds of native flowering plants in the garden, some with showy vibrant blossoms and some with tiny insignificant flowers. We also have plants in our collection that reproduce by spore and don’t flower at all such as ferns and horsetails. All of the plants are equally beautiful and important to the ecosystem. One of the unique non-flowering plants in our collection is Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum). The Maidenhair fern is rare in Nova Scotia and limited to alkaline soils. If you catch this beauty after a rainfall you'll notice that its vibrant and delicate green fronds hold tiny water droplets. The stems of this striking fern are deep purple or black and quite showy. Take a stroll through the Gardens to see how many different types of ferns you can find. You’ll be amazed by the diversity! Note the different textures, sizes, and shapes and see if you can look beyond the blossoms and see all of the beauty within the flora of the Acadian Forest Region. The Gardens are at 32 University Avenue on the Acadia campus in Wolfville and open to the public daily. Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens Acadia University, Wolfville, NS 902-585-1916 http://botanicalgardens.acadiau.ca
RESIDENCES THROUGH THE YEARS By Laura Churchill Duke Over the years, Acadia has had to come up with innovative strategies to accommodate increasing numbers of students. Today, there are 11 residences in use on campus, but the University’s living quarters had modest beginnings. Horton Academy students (a classical high school founded on Acadia’s site in 1829) were housed in a one-storey, yellow farmhouse situated on present-day Main Street in front of what is now University Hall. According to Tom Sheppard’s Historic Wolfville, the Academy Boarding House was built to accommodate 50 students, the principal, his family, and other administrators. When the first College (University) Hall was built in 1843, it had residence rooms on the upper floors. With no central heating, students had to use stoves to keep warm. In 1875, the first residence, Chipman Hall, opened on the site of present-day Chipman House. Seminary House followed in 1878 and a newer Academy Boarding House in 1887 (near the current War Memorial Gymnasium). Seminary House was built to support growing interest among the Baptist founders in women’s education.
COMMITMENT TO REMAIN RESIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY
Throughout student expansion Acadia has retained its commitment to be a residential university. According to Barry Moody’s history of Acadia, Give us an A, up until 1902 College women shared accommodations with women in Seminary or had to board in town. Acadia College women wanted to be distinguished from Seminary women, so in 1902, the College women sent a petition to the Board requesting a separate residence. In 1909, the former president’s residence, Trotter House became the first women’s college residence. Affectionately called the “Crow’s Nest”, it was located where Manning Memorial Chapel stands today. Major fires in 1914 and 1915 destroyed the Academy Boarding House and Chipman Hall, and necessitated replacements. In 1915, Willett House was built for men and Tully (Whitman House) for women – both residences still stand. After World War II, The federal government agreed to pay the educational costs of returning servicemen. The resulting influx
of students necessitated further residence construction. “New residence space was obviously urgently required,” writes Roger Prentice in his book, A Child of Providence, so War Memorial -- affectionately called “Barrax” —was built. Buildings at Camp Aldershot were rented to house married students. The Evangeline Inn, located where the new Clock Park is being developed on Wolfville’s Main Street, was leased for three years to serve as a men’s residence. The inn was torn down in the 1960s and replaced by a service station.
STRONG COMMUNITY
The Baby Boom generation of the 1960’s and ‘70s , again caused Acadia to study its educational and residence capacity. Quick fixes were needed while permanent residences were being built. Blomidon Inn was purchased as an auxiliary off-campus residence in 1960 and in 1962, “Blomidon House” became a men’s residence. Between 1965 and 1969 it was a women's residence. Lynn Whyte and Sonja Fourdraine were residents of Blomidon House. Because of its distance from campus, a shuttle bus ferried the girls to and from classes -- often with little time to spare. “It would honk its horn and leave in three minutes,” says Whyte. “The honk often woke me up and, in winter, I'd throw a coat on over my nightgown and go to my first class. I took my rollers out on the way!” The ride also gave students lots of time to catch up on everyone's doings. “One day, en route, two of us found out one guy was trying to date us both!” says Whyte. Although female students often felt isolated living away from campus, they developed a strong community. “Sharing clothes; making Kraft dinner in the kitchen; staying up late and talking in each other's rooms; stretching those good-nights with our dates on the front veranda as long as possible; turning the sofas around in the reception room for smooching privacy; pouring a wastebasket of water out the window on the head of some fellow trying to climb into his girlfriend's window; panty raids. It goes on and on once one starts to think of it,” reminisces Fourdraine. Through the years, other buildings in town or on campus, some of which are no longer
Please join us for a very important WBDC meeting!
AUG 25 WBDC
We are about to start the formal process of re-defining the Wolfville Business Development Corporation. From now until the end of September the Board has engaged consultant Ron Robicheaud to help the WBDC determine the best way to move forward. As members of the Wolfville business community you are invited to a meeting at 7:00 pm on Tuesday August 25 at the Community Room at the Wolfville Farm Market. Even if you have never attended a WBDC meeting, now is the time to join this very important conversation. There will be an on-line survey of the business community prior to this meeting, but we feel it is important to gather this group together as we want to share our thoughts, and we want to hear from you directly. If you are a member of the Wolfville business community, have not been receiving emails from us and you wish to receive information about the on-line survey please email the WBDC secretary, Elisabeth Porter at secretary@WBDC.me We are looking forward to seeing you on the 25th, light refreshments will be served. Ian Porter, President
Acadia University 15 University Ave, Wolfville. 542-2201 Staffed Switchboard 8:30am-4:30pm. agi@acadiau.ca – General Inquiries
standing, served as residences: Kent Lodge, the oldest home in Wolfville, was used as a residence in the 1920s); Hebb House, where the Beveridge Arts Centre sits, was a male residence in the 1960s; Sawyer Hall by the present library was a female residence around 1958; Suthern House, located on the corner of Acadia Street and Highland Avenue, was a residence in the early 1960s; and Horton Hall, now home to the Psychology Department and Research and Graduate Studies, was a men’s residence. Some of these buildings are found on the accompanying campus map from 1958. Since then, more residences have popped up on campus and are still being used today, including: Dennis House, the second Chipman House, Chase Court, Eaton House, and Crowell Tower. Cutten House, Roy Jodrey Hall and Christofor Hall were the last residences to be built.
SPECIALTY RESIDENCES, TOO
There are also two “specialty” residences on campus. The French House was formerly in Hayward House but now operates in Raymond House (above the print shop). Matthew Guy, Assignments Coordinator for Residence Life, says there are “10 students who speak French and cook and prepare a weekly meal together.” New to campus is the Eco-House. Located on Westwood Avenue, it accommodates five students who work with the campus Sustainability Coordinator, the Acadia Students’ Union and Residence Life on environmental issues. “They aim,” says Guy, “to live in the most sustainable manner possible in the house, eating local and using sustainable cleaning products.” Acadia continues to provide up-to-date housing through an on-going maintenance and upgrade plan. Cutten House, for example, built in 1975 is now being renovated to repair severe water damage. It is scheduled to reopen in 2012. Through a blend of well-maintained residences and additions, Acadia continues to meet the needs of a growing student population, faithful to its original purpose of being a residential university. Reprinted with permission from Acadia Bulletin