Amherst’s 1917 resident directory lists Philip Babcock as a student and manager of Ye Aggie Inn. The directory lists other employees, and the address of the Inn as 103 Pleasant. The Aggie Inn was an important part of student life in the early twentieth century. The 1921 student handbook describes the Aggie Inn as “a favorite rush eating house.'” That the Inn was a favorite is not readily apparent in all cases. The short-lived student newspapers of M.A.C. and the yearbooks are useful sources for finding information about Ye Aggie Inn. The Squib for the years 1915-17, contain a considerable amount of information about the Aggie Inn. One ad in the Squib reads:
“Ye Aggie Inn”“Everything is so Tasty” Student supplies of all kinds in our store. Ingersol Watches in Celluloid Cases $1.00.Another advertisement in the paper noted that the Squib was available for sale in Amherst at “Adam's Drug Store, Aggie Inn, College Drug Store, Hastings and the College Store.” Kollege Kandy Kitchen advertised in the Squib that their home-made ice cream was sold at the Aggie Inn; this ad mentioned that the Aggie Inn was located across from city hall.
That the ice cream is mentioned is interesting when compared to the poetic sentiments of a group of contributing students, which shows that not everyone felt the same fond regard for the Aggie Inn:
"How we miss thee, old Dog-cartWithout thee now the place is bare;Though many others do upstart,Like Aggie Inn, now standing there....And now- I sit down to a tableand eat what now, as best I'm able......The Chicken dinners to me have no taste,The weakly ice cream is a weakly waste..."Apparently, some students felt that the Aggie Inn was more of an upstart than a restaurant, with a “weary bill of fare.”
The student handbook, The Index for the class of 1929, describes the Inn more positively, as “An Ideal Place to Eat, Owned and Operated by Students and Aggie Men.” That the Inn was owned and operated by students and Aggie men may evidence an attempt to create an alternative to the college's boarding offerings after 1903. The Inn was also described as having all sorts of items for sale: “Student supplies of all kinds sold there including Banners, Pillows, Pennants, Candy, Cigarettes, and Tobacco.” Page 80 of the Index has a captivating poem about one Roger Thomas Hintze:
“Then here's to our Jolly RogerThe pirate of “Ye Aggie Inn”;--The way that he captures our shekelsIs nothing much less than a sin.”It is not clear if Roger was a manager at the Inn or not, but being labeled a pirate who captured shekels indicates that he took students' money more or less against their will, perhaps for their lack of a better place to dine, or by charging high prices. The Dog-Cart poem seems to indicate that Aggie Inn was an 'upstart', and not original to the area it serviced. The title of the poem also begs the question if the Inn was the Hash House commonly referred to throughout various student publications. If so, it was the scene of many student revelries and romps. However, much remains to be discovered about the history of the structure itself, including exactly when the structure was built, and its connection to the gas pump pictured in the image.
]]>The story of the Aggie Inn is not one that is easily uncovered. An undated photograph that carries the caption, “Aggie Inn and Post Office,” shows a barn-like building and an old clear-globed gas pump. A jalopy which dates the photo between the 1890's and 1920's sits between the building and the pump. There is some information about the Inn as a restaurant. However, a review of M.A.C.'s Trustees minutes, handbooks, yearbooks, student newspapers and general histories reveals little about the building as a gas station.
Amherst’s 1917 resident directory lists Philip Babcock as a student and manager of Ye Aggie Inn. The directory lists other employees, and the address of the Inn as 103 Pleasant. The Aggie Inn was an important part of student life in the early twentieth century. The 1921 student handbook describes the Aggie Inn as “a favorite rush eating house.'” That the Inn was a favorite is not readily apparent in all cases. The short-lived student newspapers of M.A.C. and the yearbooks are useful sources for finding information about Ye Aggie Inn. The Squib for the years 1915-17, contain a considerable amount of information about the Aggie Inn. One ad in the Squib reads:
“Ye Aggie Inn”“Everything is so Tasty” Student supplies of all kinds in our store. Ingersol Watches in Celluloid Cases $1.00.Another advertisement in the paper noted that the Squib was available for sale in Amherst at “Adam's Drug Store, Aggie Inn, College Drug Store, Hastings and the College Store.” Kollege Kandy Kitchen advertised in the Squib that their home-made ice cream was sold at the Aggie Inn; this ad mentioned that the Aggie Inn was located across from city hall.
That the ice cream is mentioned is interesting when compared to the poetic sentiments of a group of contributing students, which shows that not everyone felt the same fond regard for the Aggie Inn:
"How we miss thee, old Dog-cartWithout thee now the place is bare;Though many others do upstart,Like Aggie Inn, now standing there....And now- I sit down to a tableand eat what now, as best I'm able......The Chicken dinners to me have no taste,The weakly ice cream is a weakly waste..."Apparently, some students felt that the Aggie Inn was more of an upstart than a restaurant, with a “weary bill of fare.”
The student handbook, The Index for the class of 1929, describes the Inn more positively, as “An Ideal Place to Eat, Owned and Operated by Students and Aggie Men.” That the Inn was owned and operated by students and Aggie men may evidence an attempt to create an alternative to the college's boarding offerings after 1903. The Inn was also described as having all sorts of items for sale: “Student supplies of all kinds sold there including Banners, Pillows, Pennants, Candy, Cigarettes, and Tobacco.” Page 80 of the Index has a captivating poem about one Roger Thomas Hintze:
“Then here's to our Jolly RogerThe pirate of “Ye Aggie Inn”;--The way that he captures our shekelsIs nothing much less than a sin.”It is not clear if Roger was a manager at the Inn or not, but being labeled a pirate who captured shekels indicates that he took students' money more or less against their will, perhaps for their lack of a better place to dine, or by charging high prices. The Dog-Cart poem seems to indicate that Aggie Inn was an 'upstart', and not original to the area it serviced. The title of the poem also begs the question if the Inn was the Hash House commonly referred to throughout various student publications. If so, it was the scene of many student revelries and romps. However, much remains to be discovered about the history of the structure itself, including exactly when the structure was built, and its connection to the gas pump pictured in the image.
When the class of 1882 was holding meetings to discuss their legacy, a general feeling of discontent with Massachusetts Agricultural College, also called Mass Aggie hung around the campus. In the 1882 Index, the college’s yearbook, it is described that though the school made superficial improvements to the campus, they were not improvements that “should dignify a State institution.” Buildings had received new coats of paint and tar walkways were laid out across the campus, but the students felt that the college should be doing more to distinguish itself. The editors of the Index point to the low numbers of freshman applicants, the lack of discipline among the students, and the possibility to improve the returns of the campus’s farm. They believed that if improvements could be made in these areas, then the school would receive the recognition and dignity it deserved. It is in this sour mood that the students of the class of 1882 decided to give something back to their beloved Mass Aggie.
In the spring of 1880, during the third term of the class’s sophomore year, it was agreed upon to raise the necessary funds for a memorial fountain. The total cost for the fountain was two hundred fifty dollars, the money for which was quickly raised. The class chose the then well known J. L. Mott Iron Works of New York to build the fountain. The fountain was quickly completed and delivered to the students by the end of the same spring term in 1880. The fountain was described as having a thistle and crane design, with a boy and a duck near the top. It was made of bronze and stood eight feet six inches tall. The fountain stood in a masonry basin measuring twelve-feet in diameter, and was placed in the center of the lawn in front of South College.
As stated before, the fountain was meant to symbolize the gratitude the class of 1882 felt for their alma mater. Such gratitude was elegantly stated by one of the orators at the fountain’s dedication ceremony on June 22, 1880:
We now have an added incentive to point out the way and hold us up to our duty, such as we have never had before: for as the fountain throws its stream upward and never ceasing, so may our course be ever upward and onward, reflecting credit and honor upon the beloved institution, until at last it may be truly said of each of us, “the world is so much better because he lived in it, and the foundation of his good work was laid at the Massachusetts Agriculture College.”
The fountain served as a reminder to all following classes of students at MAC to be thankful for the opportunities that an education at this institution had provided them, and to go out into the world in such a way that would make their alma mater proud. Unfortunately, the fountain no longer serves this purpose as it has been dismantled and is now stored in the basement of Goodell Hall. Perhaps, in the future, the fountain will once again be part of the campus’s landscape to influence future students.
]]>The traditional class emblem, or memento, has often been either a pin or a ring. The class of 1882 wanted to do something different. After much debate, they decided to dedicate a fountain to the university in honor of their graduating class. The fountain that stood in the lawn of South College not only served as an emblem for the class of 1882, but represented the gratitude the graduates felt, and would continue to feel, for their alma mater.
When the class of 1882 was holding meetings to discuss their legacy, a general feeling of discontent with Massachusetts Agricultural College, also called Mass Aggie hung around the campus. In the 1882 Index, the college’s yearbook, it is described that though the school made superficial improvements to the campus, they were not improvements that “should dignify a State institution.” Buildings had received new coats of paint and tar walkways were laid out across the campus, but the students felt that the college should be doing more to distinguish itself. The editors of the Index point to the low numbers of freshman applicants, the lack of discipline among the students, and the possibility to improve the returns of the campus’s farm. They believed that if improvements could be made in these areas, then the school would receive the recognition and dignity it deserved. It is in this sour mood that the students of the class of 1882 decided to give something back to their beloved Mass Aggie.
In the spring of 1880, during the third term of the class’s sophomore year, it was agreed upon to raise the necessary funds for a memorial fountain. The total cost for the fountain was two hundred fifty dollars, the money for which was quickly raised. The class chose the then well known J. L. Mott Iron Works of New York to build the fountain. The fountain was quickly completed and delivered to the students by the end of the same spring term in 1880. The fountain was described as having a thistle and crane design, with a boy and a duck near the top. It was made of bronze and stood eight feet six inches tall. The fountain stood in a masonry basin measuring twelve-feet in diameter, and was placed in the center of the lawn in front of South College.
As stated before, the fountain was meant to symbolize the gratitude the class of 1882 felt for their alma mater. Such gratitude was elegantly stated by one of the orators at the fountain’s dedication ceremony on June 22, 1880:
We now have an added incentive to point out the way and hold us up to our duty, such as we have never had before: for as the fountain throws its stream upward and never ceasing, so may our course be ever upward and onward, reflecting credit and honor upon the beloved institution, until at last it may be truly said of each of us, “the world is so much better because he lived in it, and the foundation of his good work was laid at the Massachusetts Agriculture College.”
The fountain served as a reminder to all following classes of students at MAC to be thankful for the opportunities that an education at this institution had provided them, and to go out into the world in such a way that would make their alma mater proud. Unfortunately, the fountain no longer serves this purpose as it has been dismantled and is now stored in the basement of Goodell Hall. Perhaps, in the future, the fountain will once again be part of the campus’s landscape to influence future students.