It had been hard work, taking many weeks, but the rewards were great. The dyke held. Jean Melanson and his boys spent hours between the tides, piling earth and sods in exactly the right configuration. A wooden sluice near the base of the mound, controlling the sea water like a drain plug, would help the family claim fertile salt marsh. Soon, he would grow hay here, seizing his new farmland from...
As I rode today, I caught glimpses of Castle Frederick gleaming against the lush green fields and forests of Falmouth. It only increased my anticipation of arriving at the mansion. But nothing prepared me for the surprising, round observatory on the hill opposite the large house. Its glass eye pointed to the horizon, awaiting the full moon’s rise. Drawing nearer, I wondered what splendours we...
As he did every day, Acadia’s Dr. Horace Greely Perry headed up the steep hill, entered the Observatory, and took measurements. He wrote comments in the ledger for September 16, 1934. “Fair & warm” “Light N, NE winds” Dr. Perry gathered these readings twice daily, at 8am and 8pm. Today’s notes specified “54F” (or 12C) in the morning and “60F” (or 15C) in the evening. The day’s extreme...
Since fall 2022, Archives & Special Collections has been digitizing issues of Acadia’s student newspaper, the Athenaeum, making decades of student perspectives on campus life fully searchable and accessible to the public from anywhere in the world. More than 500 issues are now available online on the Archives & Special Collections digital collections website. We need your help to finish the...
The phrase “six precious souls and a man from Gaspereau” has been attributed to Rev. Dr. John Mockett Cramp, President of Acadia College. After extensive research through multiple collections locally and nationally, Archivist Wendy Robicheau found no written source to prove that he uttered this phrase. He may well have said it, but the written evidence no longer seems to exist. According to...
“Professor Chipman was upon the mainsail, which had got adrift when the boat upset. He was heard to call aloud for help, but none could be rendered. [Charles] Benjamin saw him at about twenty rods distance, a few minutes before Mr. Very sunk: he appeared to be then dead.” (Distressing Calamity, Christian Messenger extra, 11 June 1852, 1) The story told by Charles Benjamin and recounted in the...
No longer called the ‘historical collection’ per se, the archives started by Professor Chipman in 1846 remains at Acadia in both spirit and essence. The provenance of books, published before 1852 and donated to the College, often continues to be a mystery. Information about the donors no longer exists. Archivist Wendy Robicheau explains that Professor Chipman’s influence can still be found. In...
Acadia’s Archives and Special Collections remarkably starts with a letter from Isaac Chipman dated 1846. At that time, there was not even a completed College building to house historical collections. Yet, Professor Chipman was actively seeking donations to document the work of the Baptist Denomination and the colonies of British North America. Archivist Wendy Robicheau found the original letter...
Being only one of two faculty members at Acadia College in 1851/1852, President Cramp performed many of the administrative responsibilities of the College. He and Professor Chipman worked tirelessly to build an endowment and find sponsorships, while maintaining a full teaching load. They must have relied upon each other diligently. Then without warning, Professor Chipman—his passion for learning...
“Brother Very having a taste for geological pursuits felt desirous of obtaining specimens from Cape Blomidon, so well known as Professor Chipman’s favourite resort for that purpose. They agreed to form a party for a visit to the spot.” (Distressing Calamity, Christian Messenger extra, 11 June 1852, 1) Archivist Wendy Robicheau knew little about Rev. Very before this research but soon learned that...
