Martha Dodge Frost had a special appreciation for Gordon, which, during her lifetime, was called Gordon Bible College. She regarded the school's students and alumni as if they were her own children.
Martha Frost was important to the development of Gordon Bible College as she donated $45,000 for the construction of Frost Hall as well as several more generous donations to the college for land purchase and building development.
The original Frost Hall located on Evans Way in Boston.
When Gordon moved from Boston to Wenham, they carried over the Frost Hall name. The former Prince Mansion was renamed Frost Hall. To this day, Martha Dodge Frost's legacy lives on.
In 1947, after offering the land to Harvard and the U.N., the Prince family sold the land to Gordon, which is the land the campus currently is on.
The land, known as Princemere, was a 1000-acre property in Wenham that became the new official campus for Gordon College in 1955. The old campus on the Fenway was sold to Wentworth Institute of Technology and you can still see the Greek inscriptions on the building today.
To learn more about Princemere and the Prince Family visit the online exhibit Horses to Courses: The Property Before Gordon.
The Prince Library is now the home of the President's Office. Today, the wood paneling, the fireplace, and the built in shelving all remain!
The former dining room of the Prince family was turned into office space. Originally it housed the business office, but now houses the controller's office.
In 1965, the College's business office was located in the former Prince Dining Room.
The Prince's salon is now where the Admission's offices are located. This is the view of the room facing south towards the Quad.
This is an image of the Prince salon facing north towards Coy Pond.
The Prince family, reportedly, had the first indoor heated pool in America. It was located in the center of what is now the lobby of Frost Hall. One person even recalled that there were once fish living in the pool!
While the pool was turned into a fountain of sorts when Gordon first took control of the property, it has now been covered over by marble. If you stand within the four pillars at the center of the lobby you'll be standing above the old pool!
Picture: Frost fountain in 1974.
Who or what was Gamin you may ask? Well, Gamin was the name of one of the two German Shepherds, the other named Zietta, that Frederick Prince Jr. brought back to the U.S. with him after WWI. During WWI, Frederick and his brother, Norman, served in the Lafayette Escadrille.
In addition to the name Gamin, there is a list of battles that the dog was apparently in including La Somme (1916), Artois (1917), and La Somme (1918). Gamin lived from 1915-1924 and is said to have been buried under this stone. But, he may not be the only dog buried here...
In addition to Gamin, three of Mrs. Prince's fox terriers may be buried under this stone. The newspaper article pictured here claims that Mrs. Prince buried her three dogs in little sweaters in bronze caskets.
On behalf of the Gravity Research Foundation, Roger W. Babson donated $5,000 to Gordon College on the condition that a monument, with the quote pictured above and listed below, be inscribed, and placed on the college's campus
Inscription:
This monument has been erected 1964 by the Gravity Research Foundation
Roger W. Babson Founder
It is to remind students of the blessings forthcoming when science determines what gravity is, how it works, and how it may be controlled.
You can learn more about gravity monuments, yes there were others, at the Chronicle of Higher Education's article A Visionary’s Dreams of Antigravity Never Got Off the Ground.
Roger W. Babson (1875-1967) was an American Entrepreneur, economist, and business theorist. He was born in Gloucester, MA and attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is also known as the founder of Babson College, Webber College now Webber International University, and Utopia College.
Howard Ferrin was a former president of Barrington College. He became president 1925 and served 40 years until his retirement in 1965 when he became Chancellor of Barrington College. Under his leadership, Barrington College moved to its campus in Providence, RI. He also oversaw the college's "Miracle Dollar" move to Barrington, RI. Learn more about Ferrin and Barrington College by visiting the Barrington College page.
At the Barrington, RI campus, the main building, formerly the Peck Estate, was renamed Ferrin Hall for Howard Ferrin.
When Gordon College and Barrington College merged in 1985, a new dorm was built and named Ferrin Hall in honor of Howard Ferrin.
Wood Hall was named after Nathan R. Wood who was the second president of Gordon College. President Wood is currently the longest serving Gordon president having served 30 years (1914-1944). Wood Hall, along with Byington Hall, was torn down in 2006 to make room for KOSC.
Byington Hall was named after Edwin H. Byington, a professor of Homiletics, and was located next to Wood Hall. It was torn down in 2006 to make room for KOSC.
Prince Chapel was built by Frederick Prince as memorial for his wife, Abbie Norman Prince. It was torn down in 2000 to make room for the Phillips Music Center. Phillips was built around Prince Chapel and then the Chapel was torn down, so the courtyard and part of the walkway in front of Phillips was where Prince Chapel once stood.
Frederick Prince, when building Prince Chapel, installed 13th century stained glass windows that were previously located at one of his other properties. Before Prince Chapel was demolished, the stained glass windows were carefully moved and installed in the A.J. Gordon Memorial Chapel where they remain today. When you look up toward the stage, look for these beautiful stained glass windows!
The Clarendon Bell was originally located in Clarendon Street Baptist Church where A.J. Gordon was pastor and Gordon College got its official start. When the steeple was removed from the church in the 1960s, the bell was moved to Gordon's campus.
Once at Gordon, the Bell was originally placed in a structure near Coy Pond.
In the 1990s, the Bell once again moved to a new location. This time, it was put into the gazebo near the Ken Olsen Science Center (KOSC).
Gordon students began a tradition of ringing the Bell upon getting engaged. However, legends soon grew that if you rang the bell, and you were not engaged, you would be cursed to remain unlucky in love and remain unengaged for seven years!
Picture: Tim Willeford '96 and his fiancée, Christina Erdoessy, were the first to ring the Bell at its new location inside the gazebo in October 1997. They were married in November 1997.
Around 2014, the Bell made its most recent move to stand outside of the Chapel.
Rhodes Gymnasium was built in the 1960s and was used as such until the Bennett Center was completed in 1996.
The basketball court at Rhodes. It even hosted the Celtics in the early 1970s. They used the facility as a practice gym as well as played a few games here.
In 1999, an outer brick addition was made to Rhodes Gymnasium as well as some interior updates to dedicate it as the Barrington Center for the Arts. If you look closely at the top of the building, you can still see the metal from the top of Rhodes Gymnasium.
"Barrington College 1900" is inscribed on this rock. It was placed on Gordons' campus, near the Barrington Center for the Arts, to remind students of Barrington Colleges' heritage as it originally graced Barrington's campus.
Lewis Hall was named after Gordon president, T. Leonard Lewis (1909-1959). He served at Gordon as president for 15 years from 1944-1959 and was instrumental in Gordon's move from its Boston campus on the Fenway to its current home in Wenham, MA.
Unfortunately, Lewis died suddenly in 1959 of a heart attack and it was believed to have been an indirect result of "the worst snow storm of the year". He'd gone to clear his car out and then collapsed in his living room while reading later that day. He was then pronounced dead at Beverly Hospital at the age of 56.
The groundbreaking ceremony for Lewis Hall was held on June 1, 1963. Within the roped area: The third man from the left is President Forrester and the lady to the far right is Martha Lewis, wife of the late President Lewis.
Over the years, Lewis Hall became a beloved community for all who called it home. It gained the moniker "Lewis is for lovers" and became known for the annual Lewis Airband competition. In 2021, the last group of students called Lewis home and, in 2022, the building was used for quarantine housing during the COVID-19 pandemic years. The building was fully closed in fall 2023 and will be demolished in the fall of 2024.
The archives would like to collect stories and memories about Lewis Hall life. If you have stories you'd like to share, please fill out the Alumni Memories form on the "Alumni" tab. You can also submit photos and videos to archives@gordon.edu. If you know where the "Lewis is for lovers" moniker originally comes from, please also email archives@gordon.edu.
Photo: Lewis Hall, July 2024
Gordon College is New England’s top Christian college, located on the North Shore of Boston in Wenham, MA.
Gordon College | 255 Grapevine Road, Wenham, MA 01984 | Telephone 978.927.2300