University gymnasiums
Fire
Use of the gymnasium, from 1888 to 1904, cost students two dollars in the first term and three dollars in the second term. In 1898, nine years after the introduction of electricity in Sackville, electric lighting was added, and classes were also held for members of the town of Sackville by the University's rugby football captain that year, Frank E. Lucas.
Interest in gymnastics began to wane during the early 1900s, however, and when University men started playing basketball in 1909 the gymnasium was not large enough to fit their needs. In March 1911, an editorial in The Argosy accused the University of deceiving students by claiming in its calendar that it had a "commodious" and "well-equipped" gymnasium. The Argosy advocated that repairs and upgrades be made to the existing gymnasium in order to bring it in line with other colleges in the region.
On 28 March 1912, however, the gymnasium burned down, claiming nearly all of the athletic apparatus contained within. Sackville’s newspaper, The Tribune, on 1 April 1912, reported:
"The college boys regret most keenly the burning of the building, which, while not a very valuable one, was worth too much to be burned."
Mount Allison University gymnasium and handball court, 1906
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Sackville, New Brunswick
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