The Intrepid Forty-Niners

The Forty-Niners were 16 intrepid women who entered Burr Seminary in 1849 with the radical goal of accessing a college-preparatory high school diploma. 

The idea of educating women to prepare them for college was groundbreaking at the time, maybe even a little bit scandalous. But, the tide was turning, and between 1836 and 1875, 50 women’s colleges opened in the United States, which catalyzed eager women to prepare themselves to enter college courses of study. Sixteen of those women turned their attention toward attending Burr Seminary with an eye on college and beyond.

One of the Forty-Niners, Lucy Barrett, approached the Assistant Principal William Burnham to ask him for private instruction, so she could prepare to enter Mount Holyoke College. Burnham responded that he didn’t have the time to tutor her privately, but he encouraged her to come and join the existing classes… classes consisting of all men. 

The rest, as they say, is history.

Three of the original Forty-Niners were graduates of that first class, Lucy Barrett, Caroline Anderson Barrus, and Emma Wickham Roe. On the occasion of their 50th in 1899, Caroline Anderson Barrus shared a reflection of those early days as the first women students at Burr Seminary. She reflected on the graduation ceremonies, held at the Congregational Church, calling it “the gold day of the year.” She said, “People came from all the adjoining towns to see and hear everything. The procession from the Seminary to the church was a pleasing sight… As the principal called their names the Salutatorian writers of essays and the Valedictorian rose from their seats and went up the steps (often with shaking knees) to the platform . . . the social time was a pleasant winding up of the festivities though a bit saddened by the good-byes that must be said.”

So much has changed in the ensuing 175 years—but just as shaking knees and sad goodbyes are as timeless as a graduation tradition gets, so too is the Burr and Burton tradition of women breaking down barriers to opportunity.

As we celebrate 175 years of women at Burr and Burton, we share stories of the women who have lifted up this incredible school and paved the way for the future. Burr and Burton women have been scientists, business owners, community leaders, poets, olympians, teachers, health care workers, coaches, attorneys, visionary educational leaders—and more.

These are the women who define Burr and Burton.