History 1920-1960
1921
The college acquires the Capen School and the Botanic Garden expands further.
The adjacent garden area, laid out as a series of outdoor garden rooms, is redesigned by Kate Ries Koch in 1921.
1924
Home Gardening classes are taught at Capen Garden
1934
An additional garden room at Capen Garden is laid out and planted by Dorcus Brigham, assisted by the horticulture class.
1935
Dorothy May Anderson is appointed as the College's landscape architect.
1937
William I. P. Campbell is hired as college horticulturist, and he stays for 34 years. Anderson and Campbell rework and expand the existing campus plan. Campbell continues Ganong's tradition of having students prepare plant material for two annual shows held at Lyman Plant House. Campbell's legacy is visible in the campus landscape today.
Campbell renovates and expands the Rock Garden, which had been neglected since Edward Canning's departure in 1914.
1938
The hurricane of 1938 destroys more than 200 trees in the campus arboretum.
1942
The geneticist Albert Francis Blakeslee, renowned for pioneering chromosomal studies, comes to Smith.
1943
William Campbell takes over as College landscape architect when Dorothy Anderson leaves.
Victory Gardens are created on campus to help the war effort.
1947
William Campbell takes over teaching horticulture classes, previously taught by Dorcus Brigham (Smith class of 1918).
1952
Two greenhouses known as the Blakesee Range (also known as warm and cool genetics) are added to the Lyman Conservatory complex to support Blakeslee's research.
Continue to History 1960 to Today
But in time and with constant growth, it may yet come to pass that there will gather about the gardens of Smith College something of that charm which makes the gardens of Oxford almost sacred ground, where all that is dearest to vigorous and scholarly youth is associated with all that is most beautiful in man’s friendship with Nature.
Capen Garden
Historic Publications
All archival photographs are courtesy of the Smith College Archives
