A photograph of two female students sitting at their desks in a dorm room of Springfield College's Abbey Hall. The photograph is most likely taken shortly after the resident hall opened. After the college voted to inaugurate a regular undergraduate program for women on June 10, 1950, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for a new all-women's dormitory. The new dormitory was named Abbey Hall in honor of Mrs. Emily F. Abbey Gill who donated a significant amount of money to the college to facilitate her dream of a women’s program at Springfield. The corner stone was laid on January 19, 1951 and in September of that year Abbey Hall was ready for occupancy. The formal dedication took place on May 9, 1952, after the building was fully furnished and the interior decoration was completed. Today Abbey Hall is part of Abbey-Appleton Halls, a co-educational dormitory. However, it remains in the center of campus as a symbol of the realization of a dream for women at Springfield College.
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