Abby Snow Belden (August 2, 1896 – April 18, 1969) was an American physical educator, on the faculty at

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

. She was an accomplished horsewoman and active in hiking, camping, and other outdoors activities in New England.

Early life and education

Belden was born in

Hatfield, Massachusetts Hatfield is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,352 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The census-designated place of Hatfield consists of t ...

, the daughter of Clarence Eugene Belden and Nellie Maud Snow Belden. She was a teenaged horse racer in

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571. Northampton is known as an acade ...

. She graduated from Northampton High School in 1914, and from Smith College in 1918. She earned a teaching certificate in hygiene from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

in 1920.

Career

Belden taught physical education at the University High School at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

from 1920 to 1921. In 1925, she was promoted to full professor status in the department of hygiene and physical education at Smith College. She was faculty director of the Outing Club at Smith. In 1930, she organized a "foxless

fox hunt Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of hou ...

" for the club. Belden directed Camp Tahoma Junior in

Pike, New Hampshire Pike is a small unincorporated community within the town of Haverhill, New Hampshire, in the United States. It is located in western Grafton County, approximately east of the village of Haverhill, on Oliverian Brook. The village was named after ...

, until 1927. She founded and directed Camp Winnicut at

Lake Winnipesaukee Lake Winnipesaukee () is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately long (northwest-southeast) and from wide (northeast-southwest), covering & ...

. She also taught riding at a nearby boys' camp, Camp Tecumseh. She was a founding member of the Sportswoman Guild, and a member of the

American Physical Education Association The American Physical Education Association (APEA), previously known as American Association for the Advancement of Physical Education, is an American association, founded in 1885 to support gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that inclu ...

, and the Appalachian Mountain Club. She spoke at the New England Trail Conference in 1927, on training her pet

collie Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Many ...

to pull a "light toboggan" while camping in winter. She served on the steering committee of the New England Trail Conference. Belden ran for a seat on the Northampton City Council in 1929. In 1942, she joined the staff of Marot Junior College. She held a seat on the school board in

Moultonborough, New Hampshire Moultonborough is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,918 at the 2020 census, up from 4,044 at the 2010 census. Moultonborough is bounded in large part by Lake Winnipesaukee in the southwest and to a lesse ...

in 1946, and was a town trustee in the early 1960s.
Annual Report of the Officers of the Town of Moultonboro
' (1962):3.

Personal life

Belden died in 1969, aged 72 years, at a nursing home in

Center Harbor, New Hampshire Center Harbor is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 1,040. It is situated between Lake Winnipesaukee and Squam Lake. History Center Harbor separated from the town of N ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belden, Abby Snow 1896 births 1969 deaths Smith College alumni Smith College faculty People from Northampton, Massachusetts People from Center Harbor, New Hampshire