Mountain Day: Then and Now

Heather K. Superson

The tradition of Mountain Day started at Mount Holyoke College in 1838, the year after the college was founded by Mary Lyon. The first Mountain Day occurred on June 23rd, 1838 and “until 1893 Mountain Day was held in June (classes ran November through July then) rather than early fall, and for a while there were separate Mountain Day festivities for seniors and freshman”.[1] Regardless of the fact that some aspects of Mountain Day have changed since its beginning, such as the time of year and the different days for freshman and seniors, Mountain Day has been a long standing tradition and epitomizes one way in which the Mount Holyoke community of 2004 is similar to the Mount Holyoke community described by Mary Elizabeth Browning during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s.

In Mary’s letter to her Mother, dated October 7th, 1947 she talks about her first Mountain Day. As Mary describes to her mother, she and her friends “packed picnic lunches and then went up to Prospect Hill where [they] camped”.[2] Mary’s very description of her Mountain Day experience exemplifies the original purpose of the day off as described in Mary’s freshman handbook from 1947-1948: “The pealing of the chapel bell at eight o’clock in the morning of some glorious October day announces to us that we are to forget about classes, pack picnic lunches, and go out and climb Mountains”.[3] Mountain Day has changed little in terms of its original purpose for the students as can be seen from the current Mount Holyoke College Handbook:

“When fall weather sets in, speculation begins about the date for Mountain Day. One of the College’s oldest traditions, Mountain Day provides an unexpected break from classes and other obligations, and many students spend the day enjoying outdoor activities, in particular, hiking on Skinner Mountain. The pealing of the Mary Lyon Hall bell after the 8:00 AM ring announces to the campus that it’s Mountain Day”[4]

Many aspects of Mountain Day have remained relatively unchanged since its beginning in 1838, through the late 1940’s and early 1950’s in which Mary was writing, to the present. The purpose of Mountain Day, to give students a day off from classes and work, is consistent with the original goal of Mountain Day and has remained constant. For this reason, because Mountain Day has been a long standing tradition and has certainly not changed since the late 1940’s, Mountain Day is one way in which the present Mount Holyoke community is similar to the community of the 1950’s in which Mary was writing.

Another purpose of Mountain Day is to allow students to enjoy the changing colors of fall. As stated in an article from 1996, “Mountain Day was changed from the spring to the fall so that students could enjoy the changing foliage”.[5] Again, the same ideas that are present today regarding Mountain Day and its purpose, are expressed in Mary’s description of the countryside on Mountain Day in 1947: “We also enjoyed being out in the middle of the very beautiful countryside. The leaves have turned and the whole country is a maze of color- yellow, reds, and almost dark purples”.[6]

The article about Mountain Day which was published in the Mount Holyoke News on Friday, October 10th, 1947, three days after Mary wrote her letter to her mother, documents the day which Mary described in her letter: “Despite the “rain dances” and other fervent pleas by those who had no classes, Mountain Day was Tuesday, and from the way things look, was a huge success. . . The autumn colors were in their full glory for all to see, and a grand time was had by all”.[7]

According to Mountain Day information in the Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections, Mountain Day has continued since 1838 with the exception of two years: “The tradition continued, interrupted only during the Civil War and one year by a fire”.[8] While there were only two years in which Mountain Day did not take place, Mountain Day had an odd twist in 1942 during World War II when “some students volunteered to work on nearby farms digging potatoes and peeling apples because of the shortage of farm labor”.[9] Mountain Day has taken some different turns in the past, however, the tradition has continued since it’s beginning in 1838. Mountain Day is a similarity which links the current Mount Holyoke community to the communities of the past, which includes Mary’s time at Mount Holyoke College during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s as well as the earlier communities of the 1800’s.

The traditions which create part of the foundation for Mount Holyoke College compose an important aspect of the college’s past and present. While Mountain Day constitutes a continuing tradition which represents a way in which the Mount Holyoke community is similar to the community in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, Mary also mentions the tradition of Hazing Day. In her letter dated ca. November, 9th, 1947, Mary talks about preparing for Hazing day by making a ridiculous costume with her friends. She then talks about meeting “her” senior on Hazing Day: “My senior is very, very nice and she said she didn’t have time to really haze me”, she continues by saying that she “didn’t mind Hazing Day at all” because she “got acquainted with a very nice senior”.[10] Hazing Day, like Mountain Day is a tradition at Mount Holyoke which helps create community. While there is not a current tradition which is title “Hazing Day” we do have a tradition called “Disorientation” which is very similar to the concept of Hazing Day and involves a senior telling their chosen freshmen to dress-up in a crazy outfit, usually in the color of the senior class, and to run around acting like a fool doing whatever the senior instructs of them. According to the current Student Handbook, Disorientation,

“provides an opportunity for first-year students and seniors to get to know each other. Additionally, it provides an opportunity for seniors to develop a supportive and friendly atmosphere among themselves and with the first-year students. This event involves a series of fun and varied activities that take place over the course of four to six days in the fall semester”.[11]

While the current Mount Holyoke College Handbook does not describe Disorientation in the same context as Mary describes Hazing day, for obvious reasons we can no longer refer to the tradition as “Hazing” Day as hazing is now seen as a negative activity which is forced upon someone and is not allowed on our campus. However, while the name of the day may have been changed to Disorientation, the main idea of the event has remained the same. The seniors still tell the freshman what to do and in a way “induct” them into the college by telling them to do crazy, foolish activities.

As with Mountain Day, Hazing Day (now called Disorientation) is another way in which the community of the late 1940’s and early 1950’s is similar to the present community. Through these continuing traditions Mount Holyoke College, and the community present on campus, bridges the gap between generations. The documented accounts of the past enable us to learn about the similarities between the past and the present. According to Halbwachs there is no history, only that which we construct in the present through our memory. Therefore, without a record of traditions, such as Mountain Day, Mount Holyoke’s past would die with those who experienced it and we would be unable to understand and continue the traditions which are unique to this college and help build and maintain our community. By examining Mary’s letters, and other printed work from the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, such as newspaper articles and the Student Handbook, it becomes clear that Mountain Day is one way in which Mary Elizabeth Browning’s community is similar to the present community at Mount Holyoke College.

[1] Mountain Day Information, The College Street Journal, October, 4, 1996, Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA

[2] Mary Elizabeth Browning Letter, Mary Browning to her Mother, October 10, 1947, Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA

[3] The Mount Holyoke College Freshman Handbook, 1947-1948, p. 34.

[4] The Mount Holyoke College Handbook, 2003-2004, http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/stulife/handbook/campus_life/events.shtml.

[5] Mountain Day Information, Mount Holyoke College News, October 10th, 1996, Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA.

[6] Mary Elizabeth Browning Letter, Mary Browning to her Mother, October 10, 1947, Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA

[7] Mountain Day Information, “Mountain Day”, October, 10, 1947, Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA

[8] Mountain Day Information, Article, October, 10, 1984, Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA

[9] Mountain Day Information, Mount Holyoke College News, October 10th, 1996, Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA.

[10] Mary Elizabeth Browning Paper, Mary Browning to her Mother, ca. November, 9, 1947, Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA

[11] The Mount Holyoke College Handbook, 2003-2004, http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/stulife/handbook/campus_life/events.shtml

Bibliography

South Hadley, Massachusetts. Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College. Mary Elizabeth Browning Papers.

Mountain Day Information, The College Street Journal, October, 4, 1996, Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA

The Mount Holyoke College Freshman Handbook, 1947-1948, p. 34.

The Mount Holyoke College Handbook, 2003-2004, http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/stulife/handbook/campus_life/events.shtml.

Mountain Day Information, “Mountain Day”, October, 10, 1947, Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA

Mountain Day Information, Article, October, 10, 1984, Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA

Mountain Day Information, Mount Holyoke College News, October 10th, 1996, Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA.