50 Years of African Americans in Residence Walking Tour
The 2017-18 school year marked the College of William & Mary's yearlong celebration of 50 years of African Americans in residence. This walking tour serves as a brief history of African Americans at the College, from slavery to today.
More information about the year of remembrance can be found at wm.edu/50.
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Wren Building - 50 Years of African Americans in Residence
William & Mary's long history with African Americans has evolved from enslavement to employment and racism to reconciliation.
The Bray School
The Bray School was run in the Dudley Diggs House and was originally located where Brown Hall stands today. The Bray School, which was named after Reverend Thomas Bray and operated by Anne Wager, was…
Site of the Ku Klux Klan Flagpole
In 1926, William & Mary was gifted and accepted a flagpole by the Ku Klux Klan. The unveiling ceremony was allegedly attended by thousands of individuals, many of whom were members of the KKK…
Jefferson Hall, Constructed 1921
In the Fall of 1967 Janet Brown, Lynn Briley and Karen Ely began their freshmen year at William & Mary. They lived together in the newly renovated basement of Jefferson Hall. Unbeknownst to them, that…
Washington Hall
In the mid-twentieth century, Washington Hall was the home of William & Mary's education courses. This is where, during the summer of 1951, Hulon Willis Sr. began his master's degree and became the…
Thomas Jefferson Statue
The statue of Thomas Jefferson was a gift from University of Virginia in 1992. Jefferson was a student at the university from 1760-1762 and his drawings of the Wren building aided the university in…
Tucker Hall - 50 Years of African Americans in Residence
First opened as the Library in 1909, Tucker Hall also housed the Law School. Since 1980, it's been the home of the English Department and the linguistics and Medieval-Renaissance programs. The Tucker family provides an example of the complicated and often antagonistic history of African Americans at William & Mary.
Western Union Building
The Western Union Building, which was built in 1930, is home to William & Mary's ROTC Program. Michael K. Powell, son of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, attended William & Mary on a ROTC…
Cary Field
A year after Janet, Karen, and Lynn began their studies at the university, Warren Winston began his college football career at William & Mary in 1968. He was the university's first African American…
Lemon Hall
Originally built as Jamestown South, Lemon Hall is located at 700B Landrum Dr. It was constructed alongside Hardy Hall (Jamestown North) in 2006 at the cost of $29 million. This project added 128,000…
Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall
William & Mary prides itself of being the home of Greek letter organizations. Phi Beta Kappa's Alpha Chapter has called William & Mary its home since the honor fraternity's founding in December of…Tour curated by: Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.