Eastern Nazarene College is situated on a section of land that was originally part of the historic Quincy family estate. Originally a lush 400-acre property, the land was cleared over the years to build homes for Quincy family members, a girls’ school, and the college. The original homestead had a wide variety of plants, some of which are still on campus today.
Three original Norway Spruce trees remain on the left side of Canterbury Hall. The grand tree in the center of campus facing the student center was a gift in the late 1800s from Charles Francis Adams II to the Quincy Mansion School for Girls. An impressive specimen of the Beeches variety is believed to have traveled across the Atlantic from Europe in a small pot. Charles Francis Adams II, who was known for giving trees as gifts, ordered 50 Beeches from Europe around the turn of the century. Not all of the trees on campuses were gifts, but a good number of them were donated in memory of individuals or groups associated with the college.