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Stone Pile, 1870
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US Census Block # 34-117 (Block 57)
Description
The stone pile was a memorial to the class of 1870. Fourteen boulders were brought by horse and wagon from the countryside to commemorate each member of the class. At first they were stacked in a pyramid on the west side of Robinson Hall. Later they were toppled to make a simple pile of stones. Finally they were moved to the International House and incorporated into the landscaping when this building was completed in the 1970s.
The student names follow:Alice E Bowers, Marcellus Darling, John H Fassett, Julia F Haanel, Leora O. Hall, William Harper, Elmer D. North, Henry C. Northrup, Horatio N. Powell, M. Dicia Reed, Isaac H. Riddick, Henry A. Stoney, Wilber L. Stoney, and Alice Wood.
Source: Isaac Kremer, January 2004
The first class memorial, thirteen boulders assembled by the class of 1870.
Source: Keith Fennimore. The Albion College Sesquicentennial History. Albion, Michigan: Albion College. 1985.
From the Albion College Archives
The Stone Pile
The Stone Pile, located between Robinson and South Halls, is the memorial to the class of 1870. In May of 1870, the graduating students searched the countryside for attractive boulders, bringing back to campus by horse and wagon as many boulders as there were members of the class. The Boulders were then piled in pyramid fashion in front of Robinson Hall as the memorial to the class of 1871. [Note: “Memorial to the class of 1871” should read “memorial to the class of 1870.”]
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The Evergreens
Surrounding the boulders were planted thirteen evergreens representing each member of the class.
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See Also:
Granlund, Sarah. (1999, Oct. 22). “Professors stage protest over alpha’s demise.” Pleiad. Retrieved 11 June 2003, http://www.albion.edu/pleiad/1999/10_22/news_2.asp.
Albion Views: The Rock
http://www.albion.edu/tour/still/quad.asp
Past pictures of the Chemistry Department Homepage
Source: Albion College Archives, 2003 [Downloaded July 3, 2003]