Student walking outside at East Campus

Log cabins, picnic tables, tents, and other camping material is depicted on the right-hand side of the photograph. East Campus is an extension of Springfield College’s main campus, bounded by Wilbraham Road and Lake Massasoit. The property is a pleasant wooded green space within an urban environment. There are two buildings on the property: Loveland Chapel and The Pueblo of the Seven Fires. Loveland Chapel is used today as an early childhood education facility (the Child Development Center). The Pueblo of the Seven Fires is an authentic southwestern Pueblo structure, and is used for both Academic training and special events. The Pueblo was built in 1931 and dedicated in 1932 (designed in part by Ernest Thomas Seton, one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America) and has multiple interior murals by the Native American Artist, Wo-Peen. In addition to these structures, there are also several Adirondack style shelters as well as high and low ropes courses. East Campus was developed to meet the college’s growing demand for outdoor recreation and camping programs. The acquisition of the land dates back to 1905 when Jacob Gerrish, a waterfront landowner, deeded a plot of land (more than 25 acres) to the college. Over the next twenty plus years, the college acquired well over 150 acres of lakefront around Lake Massasoit. Today the amount of land is slightly smaller in size due to the creation of Reeds Landing, a retirement community built in the 1990s. The land is still used as it was originally intended, hosting students pursuing the outdoor recreation degree as well as “Freshman Camp,” “Outdoor Pursuits,” “Camp Massasoit,” leadership development, and other team-building experiences.

This picture is of a Springfield College student walking outside at East Campus.