By Nicole Tarnowsky

Sep 19 2025

In the basement of Lehman College’s Science Hall, in a dumpster waiting to be emptied, a valuable and historical collection of herbarium specimens was discovered dating back to the early years of Elizabeth Knight Britton’s tenure as a teacher at the Normal School (or later, Normal College), today known as Hunter College. Lehman College has ties to the Normal College, as it was originally established in 1931 as the Bronx Branch of Hunter College. Many of the specimens in this collection are stamped “Normal School Alumnae Herbarium”. 

"Normal School" was a standard term referring to schools that trained people in the "norms" of the teaching profession, otherwise known as teachers' colleges. The Normal School in New York City was established by Thomas Hunter in 1870 and was was open to all qualified women, irrespective of race, religion or ethnic background. In 1873 the school moved its campus to Park Avenue between 68th and 69th streeets, where Hunter College is still located today. Elizabeth Britton graduated from there in 1875, and subsequently became a teacher at the Normal College until her marraige to Nathaniel Lord Britton in 1885. It was in these years that her interest in botany greatly expanded, many of the specimens in this rediscovered collection are labeled with Elizabeth Gertrude Knight, her maiden name.

In addition to collections made by E. G. Knight, there are collections made by professors and students at the Normal College, from the Normal College campus, throughout New York state and other states in the northeast. This includes specimens made by professors Edward Hartsinck Day and Alice R. Northrop, student Etta Crowley "class of '87", and others active in the Torrey Botanical Club, Phoebe A. McCabe, and Alice M. Isaacs.

Steere Herbarium staff recently visited Lehman College to pack up the collection and bring it to NYBG where it has been repaired, digitized and incorporated into the Herbarium. This is a special homecoming of specimens collected by E. G. Knight, her colleagues and her students, which will now be incorporated into the world class herbarium she had a huge hand in developing.

See the full collection here.