Today we have a fabulous pair of images from the camera of Verne Simons. It gradually came clear to me that not all the photos were taken at the same time–they seem to span the entire 1930s–but these two look like they might have been taken together. I’ve never seen anything quite like either one before.

The first is a great shot taken from the middle of the road that cut across the quad for decades. It’s always enjoyable to get a good look at the road itself but I was especially interested to see how much vegetation there was along the sides. It’s not just the cedar elm (which are still there) but also the hedges, some large shrubs, and what look to be crepe myrtles:

This next one was taken from just a few steps away and it really gives you a good idea of how much unexpected stuff was growing along the sidewalk :

Bonus: This is what Professor Simons’ pictures were in.