From Matthies's book: "Bolleswood was deeded to Thomas Bolles of New London by Owaneco, Sachem of the Mohegan Indians, in 1693. It remained in the hands of the descendants of Thomas Bolles until a short time ago when Miss Anna Hempsted Branch gave it to Connecticut College as a part of its Arboretum. It has remained practically untouched since the days when the Indians held council there and contains a grove of ancient hemlocks, some of which are four hundred and fifty years old. The original deed for the land has recently come into the possession of the College." From "The Connecticut Arboretum - Its First Fifty Years 1931-1981", Connecticut College Arboretum Bulletin No. 28, a piece written in 1981 by the arboretum's first director, George S. Avery, states: "An Arboretum tragedy. The September 21st hurricane of 1938 brought disaster to the grove of 130 ancient hemlocks. Only 18 trees remained standing after the storm and 12 more died in the summer of 1938, probably from the effects of the salt spray which swept in from Long Island Sound. Dr. Niering reports that as of 1981, only a very few of the original giants still survive. They are now probably well into their third century. Shortly after the disaster a botanical study of the fallen trees took several months of "spare time" effort, and involved my colleagues in the Botany department, as well as advanced students. ... The trees studied ranged from 106 to 171 years of age (in 1938). The majority had grown on the dry rocky ledge, while a few others had been favored by the moist soil of the ravine along the brook. Although the width of the annual rings was consistently greater in the trees growing in the moist soil, the trend from year to year was the same for the trees in both habitats."