Prince George House

From Special Collections Research Center Wiki

The Prince George House at the College of William and Mary is located at 524 Prince George Street in Williamsburg, Virginia. The building was formerly known as Brown Hall. Believed to be built in 1717, the home took its former name from Dudley Digges, a local member of Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, and who may have been an Uncle to the famous Revolutionary War Hero Dudley Digges of Yorktown. More information about the building's Digges connections can be found at http://http://williamsburg.kspot.org/other/other178.htm

History

Between 1763 and 1765, the house may have been used by English Philanthropists to Christianize local slave and free black children.

In 1926, the house was bought to be used as a dormitory for Methodist girls attending William and Mary. The building was renamed Brown Hall in recognition of the major benefactors, Mrs. Jane Brown and Cornelia Brown, members of a prominent Methodist family. Brown Hall had enough space to accommodate 12-14 girls.

"On Boundary Street back of the Methodist Church is located a new dormitory for girls, Brown Hall, which accommodates fourteen girls and the matron...built from the proceeds of the Dyson estate as a memorial to a very prominent Methodist family, the Browns.” "Plans are being carried out to take care of more girls by adding new bedrooms and enlarging the living room. In addition to this hall the Methodists are planning for a new brick dormitory to house 100 girls. This will be situated between Brown Hall and the new Methodist Church," (The Flat Hat, 10/1/1926, 8)

In 1930, With the approval of the Board of Visitors, the College of William and Mary agreed to buy the house and move it to its present location on Prince George Street. "Brown Hall was established in 1924 and was sold this year to William and Mary College and moved to a new site on Prince George Street. The building was originally the home of Dudley Digges, but now that of William S. Gooch." "Old building accommodated 12, new one 74, 48 have private baths" (The Flat Hat, 9/26/1930), 4).

In 1939, the house was renamed Prince George House after the College built the present Brown Hall at the corner of North Boundary Street and Prince George Street. From 1940 to 1988, the building was used to house both faculty and students. In 1988, the College began using the building to house its Military Science Department and Army ROTC.

References

• Myers, Terry, "This Old House: Moved, Mislabeled, and Misplaced, Building at the College dates to 1700s," The Virginia Gazette, 2004/6/19, pp. 1A, 12A-13A.

• University Archives Buildings File (2007), Dudley Digges House, Earl Gregg Swem Library, The College of William and Mary.

A Note About The Contents Of This Wiki

Unfortunately, many of the early original records of the College of William and Mary were destroyed by fire, military occupation, and the normal effects of time. The information available here is the best available from known documents and sources at the time it was written. Information in this wiki is not complete as new information continues to be uncovered in the SCRC's collections and elsewhere. Researchers are strongly encouraged to use the SCRC's access tools for their research as the information contained in this wiki is by no means comprehensive.

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