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Situated at the west end of the Sunken Garden is a picturesque pond and naturalized area known as the Crim Dell. This beloved location was almost a library. Luckily, W&M President Davis Paschall intervened, and the Crim Dell was dedicated in 1966. The Class of 1964 gifted the Crim Dell bridge, built in a Chinese style.
Filled with native plants, the area is named in memory of John W.H. Crim 1901, "who loved the College.” This place plays a part in many traditions and myths on campus.
According to campus lore, if you walk across the bridge holding hands, you’ll be friends forever. If you kiss at the top of the bridge, you’ll be together for life.
W&M seniors cross the Crim Dell Bridge together on their way to graduation to signify their connection for life as part of the annual Commencement walk tradition.
Like many naturalized areas, the land surrounding the Crim Dell faces challenges from invasive plants, which must be removed to support a healthy ecosystem. The Crim Dell Restoration Project, run by the Student Environmental Action Coalition, brings students, faculty and staff together to remove invasive species and replace them with native plants.
“My estimate is that at a minimum there are thousands — tens of thousands? hundreds of thousands? — of jellyfish in Crim Dell,” said Jon Allen, associate professor of biology. Mysterious and hard to predict, the Craspedacusta jellyfish (an invasive species) bloom roughly every other year. During bloom years, you can see them from the sidewalk when the light is low.
