Bousson Experimental Forest has had a long history before it was aquired by Allegheny College.
In 1894, the Claude Bousson family owned a total of 321 acres of land, part of which would later become the Bousson Experimental Forest.
They used the land for farming and built a two-story mansion in 1881. In addition, the family created five lily ponds and a lake on their property (Morton, 1979).
Two barns were built on the property to house horses and hay. A sawmill was also constructed in 1883 to help with the family's income. During construction, trees on the land may have been cut down to create fields and lumber.
After several years of hardship, the family was forced to sell the land.
In 1883, the sawmill on the property burned down, followed by several bad investments by the family, resulting in a net loss of $60,000. The family then moved in 1890 to Cleveland.
After the move, the land was inherited by two of the Bousson children. The property changed hands within a year after this.
After this, the property when through a series of owners and eventually was acquired to the Kiwanis Club who sponsored a Boy Scout troop who used the land for a summer camp.
Chester Darling, Chairman of Allegheny's Biology department, was the leader of the Boy Scout troop. Allegheny acquired the land through Darling's recommendation in 1935 for $1,500. An additional two hundred and twenty acres were purchased for $1,000.
In 1935, The Campus described Bousson as an area used for recreation and research by the Outing Club and Phi Beta Phi, the Biology honorary society.
Between 1937 and 1945, Phi Beta Phi planted more than 10,000 pine seedlings. Additionally, both Phi Beta Phi and the Outing Club built cabins and other structures on the property for their use.
Today there is very little left of the structures which once stood on Bousson. Two bridges still stand on the property, one lying west on Sandy Creek, and another lying east on the creek. These bridges join the two roads leading to the main gates of the property.
History information provided by French Creek Watershed Research Program.