In the early 1920s, industrious boys with just enough spare time developed Bunnyville, a line of small, one-room shacks built out of scrap lumber purloined from campus. Bunnyville was located along the edge of Doyles Woods, north of the Bus Maintenance building, not far off the road behind two faculty houses. While no images have been found to date, descriptions in The Week and in the memory of students paint a picture.
- “There has arisen in this commonplace school life a new element; namely, pets. Bunnyville, as it is nicknamed by the fellows, is a bunny village in the true sense of the word. It is situated on the long strip of ground behind the teachers’ garages. It has only one street, and this runs through the very heart of it.” – The Week, September 23, 1922
- “They were constructed with scrap lumber scrounged from around campus. They raised rabbits in them, cooked potatoes they swiped from the kitchen, skinned the animals they found along the steam, and cured the hides so they could sell them and have money if they ever got near a store.” – Bob Lamborn ’35
- “There are a good many varieties of rabbits; Belgian Hares, New Zealand Reds, Checkered Giants and Flemish Giants. There are approximately 18 strong and sturdy hutches, about twenty percent of which contain very large families, of Guinea Pigs. Each fellow’s hutch contains ample room for a good-sized family of his own particular pets.” – The Week, August 23, 1922
- “The Bunnyville houses have been straightened up. These houses were built a couple of years ago to keep pet rabbits, but the rabbits are no longer in existence. The boys who own the houses use them as a sort of club room.” – The Week, March 5, 1927
- “Bunnyville is becoming what real estate men call a development. Several new houses have gone up there recently. Bunnvville is the town of miniature houses put up by the boys. It is on the edge of the West Orchard. Some of the houses have running water, and one has electric lights. The village is worth a visit, and stands open to inspection on such days as Commencement, Founder’s Day, and Alumni Day.” The Week, February 8, 1930
- “Bunnyville has recently undergone a big change. It had always been the custom in the past to have a teacher in charge of Bunnyville, and anyone desiring to build a house would have to get the teacher’s permission. Also, anyone could travel through Bunnyville at will. The times have changed, however, and these things are of the past. At present, there are eleven property owners in Bunnyville and each has a card which is evidence of his ownership. Instead of having a teacher in charge, there is a student officer who acts as Burgomaster. The Burgomaster is in complete charge, and with the help of the property owners makes new laws and such things as need to be done. Boys are allowed to own property in Bunnyville but the property is not at their disposal until they have gone two weeks or more without demerits. Each property owner is given a chance to elect a certain number of boys as his guests. If these boys are approved by the rest of the property owners, they are given a guest card, which entitles them to visit Bunnyville. Only boys with these cards are allowed in Bunnyville, those caught on the property without cards will be dealt with by the property owners. Cadet Lt. Ilerman Berger is the first Burgomaster. At present there are twenty-four boys who have the right to visit.” –The Week, April 30, 1932
- “This year every cadet who wishes to be a property holder in Bunnyville must be on the 75 percent, honor roll.” – The Week, October 1, 1932
- “They also dried walnuts they collected on Walnut Day and perhaps engaged in some activities the administration would not have condoned. Five or 10 years into his tenure, Doc decided there were probably too many of those activities and Bunnyville became a vivid memory to the boys of the era.” – Bob Lamborn ‘35
The children of Willis Lynch ‘28 grew up in faculty housing next to the site of Bunnyville and heard many stories from their father who was a student in its heyday. They recall:
- “It was along the woods where our house was. The boys had rabbit hutches to make a little money. They would also trap muskrats to sell the fur.” – Pat Lynch ’62
- “What I remember is that it was there where our house was. He did trap animals to sell the skins. Once he caught a mink, but that was down near the millrace, and he made good money for it. Maybe $7.” – Mary Lynch Simmers
