The home of many spooky rumors, Gardner House, has a unique history regarding Lasell’s campus. Gardner House was named after one of the most famous graduates in Lasell’s history, Elizabeth Gardner, class of 1856. In the 1840s, Abijah S. Johnson acquired Gardner House as part of Lasell; however, it was not known as Gardner House until years later. During the end of World War I, Gardner House was used as an infirmary to house sick patients with the Spanish influenza. Miss Nellie Wright spent generations being a housemother to the various classes that passed through Lasell and had the pleasure of staying in Gardner House. This meant looking after the girls and chaperoning them, keeping them on their studies and on top of their religious responsibilities, but also similar to a mother, being there for the girls. Today, Gardner House is known for its original woodworking, piano in the lobby, and gorgeous stained glass windows that shine on all three floors.

Gardner House

Lasell University started as Lasell Seminary and was founded in 1851 by Edward Lasell, who taught at Williams College before his time at Lasell. Lasell is one of the oldest female colleges in the United States. Edward Lasell chose the location of Auburndale for the seminary because it was very open and underdeveloped at the time. The original seminary building was located where Arnow Campus Center is now; Lasell Seminary started as a school to mold women into missionaries. Lasell focused on providing a rigorous education for young women and wanted to prove that women were just as capable of as men pursuing higher education. 


In 1908, Lasell acquired the Carpenter Barn, “The Barn '' from the Mayor of Newton at the time. It was a carriage house filled with stables for horses. In 1934, Lasell students were tasked with designing the Barn into a recreational space for the girls to use. Thus, in 1935, the space was transformed from a stable to a hang-out place. The Barn became a smoking room, which was considered a privilege for the girls. Informal programs were initiated at the barn, like club meetings, ping-pong, and dances. All of these recreational activities were presented as privileges to the girls. To the upset of the school, the girls used the space irresponsibly. They often left the space untidy and a fire hazard with their cigarettes filling the room. In the 1940s, the Barn was remodeled again to welcome the bookstore, telephones, and a food bar. Through the 1950s, the space was abused as an area for the girls to slack off of their school work and messily smoke and eat. In 1967, the Barn moved a couple of yards away from its original location near Carpenter House. In 1990, the Barn was transformed into a daycare center to allow education students to engage in connected learning. It has remained a daycare and preschool center ever since.

The Barn

The land the hall was built on was initially known as the Pickard-Johnson Estates, which was included in the purchase of Carpenter House, formerly known as Mayor Pickard’s House. After its creation, the campus center slowly began to move towards Maple St. with purchases of buildings and land rather than where Karadon is located, resulting in the bottom of the hill becoming more of the campus hub. This was moving away from the original college campus.

Winslow Hall was built during 1937-38, named after Guy M. Winslow, a science professor at Lasell University and President from 1898-1947. Later named Winslow Academic Center because of its remodel in 2000 due to a large sum of money from the Kresge Foundation Challenge Grant. Right after the remodel, students of the 150th class came together and made a time capsule that was buried on the site. The building has been used as a gymnasium, a place for dances, and an auditorium.

Winslow Academic Center

Carpenter House went through many different uses throughout its years at Lasell University, from being a dormitory to a day school for children. But to start off, Carpenter House was named after, Caroline Carpenter, an assistant principal of the university and a professor of many different subjects, including History, and English Literature. Born in 1833, Carpenter came to Lasell in 1873 after the death of her father, and taught for many years, she also because preceptress at various times when President Charles Bragdon was away. Winslow writes of her, “The influence of a remarkable woman such as Caroline Carpenter on generations of young women is incalculable. Of buoyant spirit, wit, unselfish disposition, and loyalty to the institution, she served for thirty-four years as an example not only to pupils but to her colleagues as well” The Lasell Class of 1898 named this house after her, as she was well loved by the students and contributed so much to the school. It seems that Carpenter House was also a popular place for students, in the Lasell newspaper, there were advertisements of tea times, that allowed the girls to come together and socialize on campus. It was also said that, “It seemed to welcome any student who happened to be passing by to come in and chat awhile,” and “Carpenter was the only house with an outside smoker. The girls were sitting enjoying the sun while having a cigarette and playing a hand or two of bridge.” Originally Carpenter House was built in 1890, but it was restored in 2013 for $490,000.

Carpenter House

Karandon House was built in 1893 under the guidance of Lasell Principal Dr. Charles C. Bragdon, who named it after his wife: KAte RANsom bragDON. This house was occupied by Bragdon and his family as well as Lasell President Guy Winslow, a descendent of settlers that arrived on the Mayflower, and Raymon Wass, a veteran of WWI. Located on the side lawn of the Karadon House during WWI was a victory garden that was used to grow potatoes. This was one of the many examples of Lasell students doing their part for the war effort on the homefront.  There once was a teeing-off area for a golf course behind Karandon House, which was a part of Lasell’s many physical exercise activities offered since the Victorian era, when physical activity was considered to harm women’s physical health. Despite this, Lasell emphasized women’s health and nutrition by offering many different sports and physical education programs.

Karadon House

Hoag house was one of the very early homes that Lasell had purchased for the seminary. Dr. Francis N. Peloubet wrote a number of books, including, most notably, Sunday school lessons that were taught all over the country. He was also a big advocate for women's education at the time of his tenure at Lasell. Peloubet House was later named Hoag House in honor of Elinor Hoag, a longtime English teacher. Hoag House is the current name of his house on Woodland Road, which is directly across from the school and once housed both faculty members and students.

Lasell University- A Walk Through History at One of America's First Female Seminary Schools

Gardner House

Introduction

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