Map of Tufts College in 1938. In the lower right corner, you can see the new Cousens Gym north of College Avenue the rest of the undeveloped Stearns Estate. The building to the west of Cousens Gym was originally College Station, but at this time it had been home to Tufts University Press for some time.
Map of Tufts College in 1929, less than a decade after the Stearns mansion was torn down. In the lower right is College Avenue, labeled "To Willows + Medford," referring to the street's nickname. Arrows also indicate that the Site for New Gym and the Tufts College Press are located to the right of the railroad.
View towards Medford Square from the top of College Hill (Tufts College), ca. 1910. The tree-lined Avenue stretching left to right is College Avenue, also known as The Willows. The Boston & Maine Railroad parallels the bottom of the image, with College Hill Station appearing at the bottom left. Behind the station is Pansy Park, a pansy nursery. To the left of Pansy Park is property belonging to the Stearns Estate. Across College Avenue are the clay pits.
Photograph of Eaton Hall in the winter in 1950. Eaton Hall served as the library from its construction in 1908 until the construction of Wessell Library in 1964. The busts of John Brown and George L. Stearns were at one point on exhibit here at one point..
View of College Hill and Tufts College from the Stearns Estate across the railroad tracks to the east. The buildings are, left to right: East Hall, Ballou Hall, Packard Hall, and West Hall.
Photograph of Ballou Hall, the first building on the campus of Tufts College, 6 years after it was opened. Until East Hall was constructed in 1860, Ballou Hall was the college's only building and it provided space for classrooms, a dormitory, a chapel, and a library. Originally called simply College Hall, Ballou Hall was renamed after named after Hosea Ballou II, the college's first president.
Black-and-white photograph of an untitled oil-on-board painting known as "College Hill from Medford," attributed to Benjamin Champney, ca. 1865 (Tufts University Permanent Collection AI 07400). The painting shows the Paul Curtis house and Ballou Hall of Tufts College in the distance, as seen from north of the Mystic River, ca. 1855.
Goddard Chapel soon after it was constructed on the campus of Tufts College, 1883. By the end of the 19th century, a plaque commemorating Dr. Edwin Hubbell Chapin had been placed inside the chapel, where it remains today.
Photograph of College Station at the corner of the Boston & Maine Railroad (foreground) and College Avenue (left). When the new Tufts College Station was built to the south, this building became occupied by Tufts College Press.
Map of Tufts College showing buildings present in 1932 and possible sites of future buildings. In the lower right quadrant, note the presence of the Physical Education Building (Cousens Gymnasium) and possible future additions northwest of College Avenue, as well as a large plot of the Stearns Estate yet undeveloped. In 15 years, this property would be home to Stearns Village.
Attribution:
College Architects: Andrews, Jones, Biscoe & Whitmore
Oil on board painting of College Hill from across the Mystic River in Medford, pictured around 1856. The building on top of the hill is Ballou Hall, the first building of Tufts College. The white house in the foreground is the Paul Curtis House, which is said to be the house mentioned in Lydia Maria Child's poem "Over the River and Through the Woods." The Mystic River is in front of the Curtis house and is home to an old shipyard, possibly the Curtis shipyard.
Attribution:
Champney, Benjamin (attributed)
Attribution Statement:
Image courtesy of Tufts University Permanent Collection, AI 07400
A map of Tufts College about ten years after it opened, from a map drawn by Charles E. Fay, with a key to the buildings given below the map. Note College Hill Station (building W) at the corner of the Boston & Lowell Railroad and College Avenue leading to the Stearns Estate just off the edge of the map. This map appeared on page 148 of The Tuftonian, Vol. 2, No. 4 (May 1942).
Photograph of the view towards Medford from East Hall, Tufts College. The Stearns Estate mansion is located in the trees to the middle right. The caption reads, "View toward Medford from East Hall, 1875. The railroad cut is in front of the stonewall in the foreground. The farm house of the Stearns estate is seen in the lower left corner, and the mansion house in the right center. The end chimneys of the Royall House are seen in the center of the picture and, to the left of the house, the pointed object is the summer house that at one time stood on a mound in the Royall garden."
Article titled "The Stearns Estate" by Justin Wyner, describing the 'Stearns Estate, 1899' painting by William Hauk. This article was published on pages 10-11 of the Spring 1945 edition of the Tuftonian. A black and white copy of the painting was featured on the front cover.
View of the Stearns Estate and beyond that Medford from College Hill. The Stearns Estate mansion is located in among the trees in the lower left quadrant. The caption reads, "The Medford view in '74. This is somewhat to the east of the one above which brings the Stearns house near the left of the picture. The Royall House is the building with four end chimneys near the center of the picture. In the lower right hand corner the tower of the old Stearns windmill is barely visible."
Holiday card from the Fletcher School dean Jack Galvin and his wife Ginny. At the time they were living in the Paul Curtis House at 114 South Street, Medford, which was owned by Tufts University. (Note: The images of this card have been digitally rearranged.)
Tufts College. From an engraving of 1855. Visible on top of College Hill is Ballou Hall and Packard Hall (then known as Middle Hall). In the distance to the right is Medford.
View towards Medford from Ballou Hall, 1876, showing nearly the entirely Stearns Estate. The caption reads, "View from Ballou in 1876. Middle Hall [Packard Hall] in the center with an end of East Hall at the right. The entire Stearns estate is shown from the farm buildings to the windmill tower, also much of the plot of ground now occupied by Cousens Gym. The stone bank wall at the front of Middle Hall, shown in the 1856 and 1867 views of the building, has been swung to the east parallel with the front of the building. The Royall House and the summer house show clearly. The R.R. [railroad] cut and Boston Ave. are beyond the road, which lies beyond the clothes line." The mansion house of the Stearns Estate is visible just about the roof of Packard Hall.
Commemorative cast bronze memorial plaque of the Reverend Edwin Hubbell Chapin by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. In 1891, the plaque was donated to Tufts Collage and soon thereafter placed in Goddard Chapel. A notice in the school newspaper reads, "A replica of the bas-relief of Dr. Chapin in the Church of the Divine Paternity, New York City, has been presented to the college and will soon be placed in the chapel. This bas-relief is considered by good critics one of the masterpieces of St. Gaudens." (Tuftonian, vol. 17, no. 16 [5 June 1891], page 236)
Attribution:
Saint-Gaudens, Augustus
Attribution Statement:
Image courtesy of the Tufts University Permanent Collection: Gift of Friends of E.H. Chapin, AI 05500
Program for the dedication ceremonies of the Stearns Estate marker in front of Cousens Gymnasium, held April 8, 1987. The dedication consisted of several speakers and a performance of "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory" ("Battle Hymn of the Republic," sung to the tune of "John Brown's Body") by Julia Ward Howe of Medford.
"New England Boy's Song About Thanksgiving Day" (also known as "Over the River and Through the Woods") by Lydia Maria Child, published in Flowers for Childrenby Lydia Maria Child (Boston, 1845), p. 25. "Grandfather's house" is believed to have been inspired by Child's grandparents' home on 114 South Street in Medford.
Photograph of a wagon in the distance on College Avenue in Medford near Tufts College, circa 1870. The trees lining the street gave its nickname "The Willows." The Stearns Estate bordered College Avenue.
Photograph of College Avenue, possibly in 1910. This stretch of the road was known as "The Willows" for its romantic arc of willow trees. The Stearns Estate bordered College Avenue to the north.
This painting shows the Stearns mansion in the center right and the farmhouse to the far right. In the distance on the hill are the buildings of Tufts College, with the tower of Goddard Chapel, East Hall, and West Hall visible through the trees. The road to the left is College Avenue; at the time it was known as the Willows because of the trees on either side. At the corner of College Avenue and the railroad tracks is College Hill train station. The Boston & Lowell Railroad operated on the tracks that separated Tufts College from the Stearns Estate's orchards.
Attribution:
William Hauk
Attribution Statement:
Image courtesy of the Tufts University Permanent Collection
Photograph of Tufts College from the clay pits on the southeast side of College Avenue. Visible in the center are the willows trees that lined College Avenue. Also visible is the College Avenue bridge over the railroad tracks. Visible Tufts buildings are Curtis Hall, Paige Hall, Goddard Chapel, East Hall, Ballou Hall, Packard Hall, and West Hall.
Attribution Statement:
Courtesy of the Medford Historical Society & Museum
Excerpt from a map of Medford, 1855, showing South Medford, with the George L. Stearns Estate highlighted in green and Tufts College highlighted in blue near the center of the image.
Attribution:
Walling, Henry Francis; Kollner, Augustus
Attribution Statement:
Courtesy of the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library.
Excerpt from the Brainard map of Medford, 1880, showing South Medford. The Evergreens (Stearns Mansion) and the Willows (College Avenue) are labeled in the lower left.
Attribution:
Brainard, Charles H.; O.H. Bailey & Co
Attribution Statement:
Courtesy of the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library.
Plaque in front of Cousens Gym in Medford, MA, commemorating the former site of the Stearns Estate. The plaque reads, "Site of the Stearns Estate: A waystation on the Underground Railroad, a haven for slaves seeking freedom. 1850-1860. Placed here by members of the Tufts community, who continue to honor the tradition of sanctuary. Dedicated April 8, 1987." The plaque was dedicated one day shy of the 120th anniversary of the death of George L. Stearns. This photograph was taken in August 2017.
Bronze bas-relief plaque of Hosea Ballou II, the first president of Tufts University, on the exterior wall of Ballou Hall, the first building on campus.
