Retrospection


The Class of 1857 and the Gate They Left

If you’ve ever stepped foot on Harvard’s campus, you’ve seen the Wadsworth gate, though you may not have realized it. Nestled between the urban bustle of Harvard Square and the red brick of the Yard, I walk past it nearly every day, but rarely do I stop to ponder its history. The gate is also called the Class of 1857 Gate after the class that sponsored it — a class whose joyful graduation barely preceded the advent of the Civil War.

The Rise and Fall of the Freshman Smoker

Organized by the Freshman Smoker Committee and originally held in the Harvard Union building, the Freshman Smoker originated as an event for freshmen to socialize and, of course, smoke.