1788 Dedication of Washington College

Washington College was established in 1782 but it took six years for a building to be constructed specifically for the college. Rakestraw and Hicks of Philadelphia created the plans for a four-story building with two wings, which would cost $28,000 to build.

A lottery was set up to help raise the funds along with other fundraising efforts and the building was ready for dedication on Tuesday, June 17, 1788; Commencement was held the next day. A model of the building is in the foyer of Bunting. We know what took place because we have William Smith’s notes for the event. It was held in the Old Grammar School called “The Club” rather than in the newly constructed building. There was a procession including the Board of Visitors & Governors, scholars, alumni from the previous six years, and current students carrying books and symbolic items of education and learning like a globe. 

There were several orations including one on slavery. This is interesting since the mural that hung in the old Bunting Library for decades depicts an African American man laying the cornerstone for the building. This first building was destroyed by a fire in 1827 and the first of what is now called the hill dorms was built.

The class of 1788 were Edward Scott III, Morgan Browne, and James Houston. The events were well attended and included prominent attendees including the Pacas, Carmichaels, and the Goldsboroughs who would later marry into William Smith’s family. The next year the college invited George Washington to receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. You can read the whole program and two sermons by Smith on our Digital Archive.