y of the exquisite taste which ever guided his hand, but of
his considerate thoughtfulness wherever the pleasure or comfort of the
pupils was concerned. During the autumn of 1877, in order to secure the
whole of the beautiful grove adjacent to their property, the trustees
bought fourteen acres, thus making their real estate something more than
twenty-two acres.

In the quarter of a century since Miss McKeen came to Abbot Academy,
besides these imperatively needed houses, and these greatly prized
acres, many valuable collections scientific, artistic and literary have
been added; but, as ever, the great want is room, that the pupils may
have the benefit of their use, which is impossible in their present
scattered condition. The school observed its Semi-Centennial in June,
1879, and extended a hearty welcome to nearly three thousand of its
alumnae. The position was favorable for a survey of its present
situation, its past history and its future prospects. Thorough
examination of the past proved it had done excellent work; its list of
pupils from all parts of the country, constantly increasing, showed it
had taken deep root, but its future prospects appeared to be imperilled
by its environment. On every hand it was crippled by want of buildings,
want of endowment, want indeed of everything necessary to the comfort of
a school. It was mentioned with amazement that half its collections were
packed in boxes, its books were in every room of the building, wherever
a shelf could find room, its pianos in the public parlors, and as for
its boarding accommodations, so insufficient were they, it is a wonder
to those familiar with the arrangements of the more recent girls'
schools and colleges, that Abbot Academy has any boarding pupils at all.
That it does, and frequently to its fullest extent, proves to the entire
satisfaction of thoughtful persons the superior character of its
instruction. Numerous highly valued and gratefully remembered gifts
flowed in at the Semi-Centennial, but no sums sufficient to warrant the
beginning of new buildings; so the teachers went on doing the best they
could, spite of their great disadvantages, and their best was so good,
that in 1884 the pressure became so strong, that several architects of
Boston and vicinity entered into a free competition, submitting plans
for the contemplated structures, and those drafted by Messrs Hartwell
and Richardson, were accepted by the trustees, who appointed a building