For nearly 150 years, the University of Southern Maine’s Academy Building hid a secret: a trove of forgotten love notes, sketches and personal memories hidden within its walls.
To ensure the preservation of the historic building in 2022, experienced conservation contractor Lee Hoagland was engaged to closely tailor the renovation to the original design.
While repairing the large pillared portico over the course of a year, Hoagland discovered a long-closed gap between the first and second floors of the 1806 building.
In that room, under the landing at the top of the stairs, Hoagland found a hidden stash of papers and removed dozens, perhaps hundreds, of notes and drawings from the walls.
It turned out that the building, which originally served as a private preparatory school for children aged 10 to 17 for upper-class families, was full of friends’ long-lost notes, train tickets, stamps and paychecks.
This discovery provided university scientists with a unique insight into the personal lives of the high school students who once walked the halls.
Among the discoveries are fragments of love letters – which are a rarity these days – such as a letter that begins: ‘My love, why did…’
Another note reads: ‘Ada, wouldn’t you like to go swinging after school? I’ll stop if you want. Do you want? Write and say!’
For nearly 150 years, the University of Southern Maine’s Academy Building hid a secret: a trove of forgotten notes and sketches hidden within its walls.
A love note found in the treasure reads: ‘Ada, wouldn’t you like to go swinging after school? I’ll stop if you want. Do you want? Write and say!’
References to a student named Belle Worcester appear frequently, with one love note stating, “Bell Worcester is a (prissy or beautiful) girl.”
‘We had a great time meeting last night as Belle and I passed notes. We didn’t pass many though as Mr Lord was right behind us,” wrote another.
In addition to romantic pursuits, the notes also reveal insights into the academic life of the time, including mathematical equations, English conjugations, and writing exercises.
Hoagland saved every last piece of parchment and handed them over to Associate Professor Hannah Barnes, chair of the Department of Art currently housed in the Academy Building, until they can find more permanent housing.
USM historian Libby Bischof noted that the discovery of a four-letter expletive and an unflattering caricature of a teacher underscore that even as teen behavior evolves, it remains remarkably consistent across generations.
“The past is not as far away as we think,” Bischof told the newspaper Bangor daily news.
“I remember writing personal notes back and forth in my friend’s notebook when the teacher thought we were studying.”
The unfortunate teacher – Mrs. Stevens – was drawn with a long, cartoonish nose, something that caught Bischof’s eye.
To ensure the preservation of this historic landmark, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, expert contractor Lee Hoagland was engaged to painstakingly modify the original design.
Pictured: An unflattering sketch by a former student of their teacher, Mrs. Stevens
From loose notes to formal assignments: the collection offers a glimpse into the daily life of the students of the Academy Building
‘What really stood out to me was the Miss Stevens cartoon because it was so crude. Not rough in a lewd way, but rough like a really bad sketch,” Bischof said.
“And I could tell that Miss Stevens had very big eyes, because that’s the defining feature.”
She also noted to the Daily News that these notes will serve as an important artifact as correspondence between colleagues becomes increasingly digital.
“These days it’s all text and Snapchat,” Bischof said. “We won’t see this for future generations.”
The building’s restoration is the “most ambitious building I’ve ever worked on,” Hoagland admitted.
‘They really wanted to show in 1803 that they were just as good as Europe. ‘We are going to create a school. And we’re not just going to build a school, we’re going to build a big school at the top of the hill. With all this architecture, it will prove our sophistication.”
Pictured: A short essay on apple blossoms of just 70 words
‘We had a great time meeting last night as Belle and I passed notes. We did not pass much, however, for Mr. Lord was right behind us,” reads this mysterious note
Pictured;
Pictured: one of many notes referring to the ‘beautiful’ Belle Worcester
The final phase of the renovation was completed in the spring of 2024, returning the Academy Building to its former glory.
Today it houses the USM Art Department, where the rescued papers await their next chapter.
There are plans to archive them in the university’s Special Collections, so that future generations can become acquainted with these snapshots of student life from a century and a half ago.
Before it became part of the USM campus, the Academy Building was closed in 1877 due to declining enrollment.
In the decades that followed, the building was incorporated into the growing campus of the University of Southern Maine.