March 31
to
April 7
Mrs Perkins' Garden Tea Party
View Mrs. Perkins' Garden Tea Party event announcment
Mrs. Perkins (1835-1922) is still remembered at Union for the beautiful flower garden she tended for over 50 years in the area south of Old Chapel. Join us in celebrating the end of the long winter of 2013-2014 with tea, refreshments, and a glimpse of Mrs. Perkins’ Garden as it looked in full flower. Learn too about the many facets of the woman known on campus as “The Duchess”:
Olga holds up a cut out of Anne Perkins while standing by an event panel that talks about who the Duchess was.
Who was Anne Dunbar Potts Perkins?
- Creator of Mrs. Perkins' Garden near Old Chapel and South Colonnade.
- Wife of Union College Professor of Chemistry, Maurice Perkins (1836-1901).
- Lived on campus for 57 years, from 1865 until her death in 1922.
- Raised 3 children at her home in South Colonnade.
- Mother-in-law of Union College Professor of Rhetoric, Logic, and English, Edward Everett Hale Jr. (1863-1932).
- Published writer, educator, citizen of the world, and campus icon, known on campus as "the Duchess".
The Gardener
Who grew plants indoors and out year-round, published an illustrated description of her campus garden in a national magazine, and recorded her appreciation for the entire Union College landscape throughout the year.
The Writer
Who published short stories in collections with the likes of Harriet Beecher Stowe, translated works from French, German, and Italian, and wrote hundreds of vivid and entertaining letters (now held in Schaffer Library’s Special Collections) about life at Union between 1895 and 1904.
The Educator
Who hosted book clubs and literary discussions in her home, lectured on literary topics, and taught classes for the local community.
The Citizen of the World
Who traveled to Europe during her youth, whose interest in politics spanned the globe, and who became an active member of Schenectady institutions such as the YWCA.
Who was married to one Union College professor, mother-in-law to another, and mother to three accomplished children including two daughters who were active in the women’s rights movement.
Who provided support to the other women and the young faculty at Union, and who was so deeply involved in the life of the College that graduating seniors would ask her to autograph their diplomas.
Monday, April 7th, 2014 @ 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. at the Old Chapel
Sponsored by the Schaffer Library Research Fellow Program.
Funded by the Robert J. Mielke Library Endowment.