Before Clapp Laboratory – Cornelia and concrete

Williston Hall

A woman stand atop a staircase in front of an ivy covered brick building — ^{_{Cornelia Clapp at Williston Hall Annex, undated}}

A two story brick building with arched windows. There is a similar brick annex attached to the left, with a peaked roof. A large, leafless tree sits in front of the building. — ^{_{Photo of Williston Hall and Annex, circa 1891}}

Williston Hall preceded Cornelia Clapp Laboratory. It was opened in 1876 as a science and art building. It housed one of the largest collections of fossil casts, rivaling Harvard and Yale. Eventually, the space within Williston proved to be insufficient for the growing science departments. Dr. Cornelia Clapp moved outside, operating one of her labs under a tent in order to escape the cramped conditions. In 1889, the Annex was completed, providing the much-needed space.

A whale skeleton hangs from the ceiling of a room. Other fossils line the room, placed upon rows of tables. White pillars line the room. — ^{_{Photo of Williston Hall basement ichnological cabinet, circa 1880s}}

A room with cases of fossils. A larger, sea creature fossil hangs above a doorway. Large, reconstructed dinosaur skeletons are on display. — ^{_{Photo of Williston Hall paleontological cabinet, circa 1880s}}

Unfortunately, during the winter break of 1917 Williston Hall burnt down. Not built with fire safety in mind, and with the campus mostly empty, the fire was not caught in time before it began to rapidly spread. The wind was blowing in the right direction to contain the fire only to Williston, but it was completely destroyed.

A newspaper clipping titled "Williston Burns at Last." To the left, a photo of the ruins of the burned brick building. To the right, an article which reads "Almost Total Loss of Equipment. It has been expected for years sooner or later Williston Hall would burn up. It was an old building, dating from 1876, poorly constructed from the point of view of fire, with the additional danger of a laboratory equipped with chemicals. With this possible fire in mind, the science departments have always taken the greatest care to protect Williston. As far as is known, the fire was caused by electric wiring. The college current was turned on at 4.15, and it is a significant interval between then and 4.30, when the telephone booth in the north end of the hall was blazing. If December 22 had been an ordinary Saturday afternoon, much might have been saved; as it happened, the building burned so quickly, and there were so few people present, that very little could be done. Twenty-six microscopes were saved, and a very small part of the apparatus. Those who saw the fire say that although it was horrible, they could not help admiring the fierce beauty of the sweeping waves of flames, the colors caused by the chemicals, and the showers of sparks carrying danger to the rink and to Porter. If the wind had been from the opposite direction, Shattuck must surely have been burned. We are apt to consider Williston a total loss, and mourn for the faculty who lost everything. Miss Woolley said of Dr. Clapp that she had not lost everything; though a few records are lost her work is immortal, as those who have worked with her and gained some of her genuine love for her work will know. So with all the faculty; though some of them have lost the work of years, they are not asking for sympathy. They are already at work making plans for the years to come and the immediate needs of the students. The third floor of Skinner is being fitted up for a laboratory and will be the permanent home of the Psychology departments. Botany, Geology, Physiology, and Zoology are scattered about in various buildings wherever there is room for them. A temporary one-story building is to be put up on the site of Williston, and later when enough money has been raised a permanent, fully equipped science building will be erected. Williston was well insured, but it will require four or five times the amount of the insurance to build a new hall. That amount cannot replace Williston, for it was rich in traditions and associations to those who loved it. 'Out of all this strenuous effort Williston Hall arose, and thus a larger sphere and greater stimulus were given to Mount Holyoke in natural science. We who watched the beautiful building in the process of erection, and put our hearts into all its bricks and mortar, know something of Miss Lyon's feelings in the early time of which we red,' says an old MOUNT HOLYOKE. We too may enter into and appreciate this feeling as we watch a new building rise, and we know it will, from the ruins." — ^{_{“Williston Burns at Last”, January 9, 1918}}

Temporary Facilities

After Williston Hall burnt down, the departments were quickly moved into temporary facilities that immediately saw use in the spring. Psychology was given permanent residence on the third floor of the new Skinner Hall. Geology was moved to outfitted rooms on the ground floor of the library. Botany, zoology, and physiology made use of the basement of Mary Lyon Hall. The following fall, a temporary laboratory was finished to house the botany, zoology, and physiology departments. Built using salvaged bricks from Williston Hall, after Clapp Laboratory was constructed, it would become the Commissary building. It was later renovated into the Ciruti Language Center in the late 1980s.

Students work at wooden desks in a large classroom with many windows. One student on the left is looking up at the camera. The classroom has dark floors and walls, as well as dark furniture. — ^{_{Photo of temporary zoology laboratory in Mary Lyon Hall, circa 1917-1918}}

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