1852: An Acadia Tragedy Unfolds (Part 19, Jun 23/25)
The College’s historical collection dates to 1846
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 that started it all.
Written to Dr. Daniel M. Parker, of Halifax, and dated April 24, 1846, the letter includes an important statement.
I do not know whether you have observed that an effort has been going forward for a few months to make historical collections at the College here, primary relating to the Baptists of this country, and secondarily to Baptists generally, to the movements of religion throughout the world, and to the civil affairs of these colonies.
Read the full, handwritten letter on the Acadia Archives’ Digital Collections, here: https://digital-archives.acadiau.ca/node/3985
In his five-page letter to Dr. Parker, who was educated at Horton Academy before continuing his medical studies, Isaac Chipman explains that the Baptist part of the project is making good progress. He talks about the scope of his collecting efforts. It is ambitious. Books, maps, pictures, missionary curiosities, periodicals, reports about producing manuscripts, written histories, and portraits are all actively discussed. Professor Chipman asks Daniel Parker about supplying lectures in civil history and religious history of any country. Colonial literature is the focus. At one point, the professor says, “In this little dish of a place it may seem ridiculous to talk in this way.” But he recognizes the need to preserve this material, continuing with “The objects belonging to the country, whether natural or artificial, tending to demonstrate its natural possessions or its works of art, should be gathered into places of public exhibition.”
By the time of a Board meeting on 20 September 1851, Professor Chipman reports that the “Library has 1,300 volumes ready for access in a reading room which is open. There are 2,000 minerals, rocks, and fossils in the Cabinet. 150 miscellaneous curiousities such as insects, shells, coins, and autographs.” He also mentions that a “new room is fitted up for museum purposes.” (Christian Messenger, 17 October 1851) The room he supposedly fitted up for a museum were the rooms assigned to Professor Chipman inside the College Hall building. Anecdotally, he slept on a cot under the stairs in the Hall instead.
When College Hall, built under the direction of Isaac Chipman and known as the College built with no money, burned in 1877, presumably all the Library and Museum contents were lost. My only hope of finding anything that survived the fire was in personal collections held by the Chipman family and other benefactors of the College. Fortunately, some items remained in personal collections and will be the focus of the next post.
Are you waiting to find out what happened to Professor Chipman? A post is coming later in the month. Let me tell you about a historical commemoration being planned on 27 June 2025. 173 years after his funeral, Professor Chipman, along with the other victims, will be commemorated at the Wolfville Baptist Church and the Old Burying Ground in the style of an 1852 funeral service. The family-friendly commemoration is open to everyone. Please join us at 6.30pm in the Wolfville Baptist Church to hear Rev. Dr. Cramp give a short funeral sermon before we process to the graves of Isaac Chipman and William Grant.
