Last August, I had the opportunity to do research in Emily Dickinson's hometown of Amherst, Mass. As I toured various historical sites, I noticed some striking similarities between Amherst and Provo that may be insightful for those who must decide what to do with the Brigham Young Academy.
Both Provo and Amherst were "western" towns that gained distinction after the establishment of their respective academies and colleges. The schools in Amherst and in Provo were founded for similar purposes: To provide students with a superior education based on Christian principles and practices.Amherst College was explicitly established as a seminary to prepare young men and women for missionary service abroad, just as Brigham Young University hopes to strengthen the minds, hearts and testimonies of students for international service in the church and in their careers. Schools in both communities have attracted renowned professors and produced fine scholars.
Samuel Fowler Dickinson (Emily's grandfather) and Noah Webster helped establish Amherst Academy in the early 1800s and then founded Amherst college. Emily Dickinson attended Amherst Academy as a schoolgirl, and her father, Edward, served as the treasurer of Amherst College for 40 years.
Amherst College still serves as an institution of higher education, but Amherst Academy is now a parking lot with a small historical marker. Noah Webster's Amherst home is also a parking lot, unmarked.
As we toured the Dickinson homestead, the docent told us that only a miracle could explain the preservation of the home where Dickinson was born in 1830 and where she died in 1886. Only by accident was it spared demolition: No one knew that Dickinson was going to be famous; her complete poems were not published until 1955.
The other Dickinson home, where Emily spent her formative years (1840-1855), is now a Mobile gas station on North Pleasant Street. Like Provo, Amherst has several other historical sites that are falling into disrepair, while legal and civic disputes about their future continue.
Nineteenth-century Amherst could not have known that Emily Dickinson would become America's greatest poet, so key biographical landmarks have been obliterated. But twentieth-century Provo does know the historical value of the Brigham Young Academy.
We know the sacrifices of the pioneers and the prescience of Brigham Young. We know that Karl Maeser and Susa Gates Young and Spencer W. Kimball walked the halls of the academy. And who knows whether one of our "Emily Dickinsons" or "Robert Frosts" will someday bring millions of visitors to this town, hoping for a sense of heritage and a view of history?
Perhaps in the case of Provo's academy we have physical and financial constraints beyond our control. I acknowledge the difficulty of a practical solution.
Maybe Georgetown Development's plan to demolish and then duplicate the buildings for commercial purposes is the only answer. But maybe it is time for a miracle, time for community collaboration, for fund-raising, for education about the long-term value of historical traditions.
Maybe it is time for a vision. Maybe we need a seer, someone who sees Provo 150 years from now as a flourishing hub of educational institutions and economic opportunities, a community that has tried to nurture its roots and its branches, a town like Am-herst.
Cynthia L. Hallen
Provo