One hundred years ago, on March 17, 1914, at 4:30 a.m., 198 Wellesley College students and 16 faculty members awakened to a fire that would burn College Hall to the ground. Within ten minutes, without the word “fire” being uttered, because that was against the rules, all residents were evacuated, accounted for and unharmed. Full accounts of the conflagration and the school’s response to the disaster can be found on The Wellesley History blog and the college’s alumni magazine.
The college will commemorate this pivotal event in its history on March 17 with a series of activities for the school’s community.
Related:
Wellesley home sustains fire damage
Wellesley firefighters training at Longfellow Pond
Firefighter entrance exam being held in Wellesley
