Morrill Hall is the oldest continuously-used academic building on the campus of the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...

. Built in 1898 in the

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

architectural style for $24,000, it was the sole academic building left untouched by

The Great Fire of 1912 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

which devastated almost all of campus. Originally known as Science Hall, the building was renamed for Senator

Justin Morrill Justin Smith Morrill (April 14, 1810December 28, 1898) was an American politician and entrepreneur who represented Vermont in the United States House of Representatives (1855–1867) and United States Senate (1867–1898). He is most widely remem ...

, father of the

Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges in U.S. states using the proceeds from sales of federally-owned land, often obtained from indigenous tribes through treaty, cession, or s ...

(from which the university received funds in 1864). Morrill Hall has housed numerous departments over the years, including the Zoology and Veterinary Science Departments. The three-story building currently houses a number of offices in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, including the

Center for American Politics and Citizenship The Center for American Politics and Citizenship (CAPC) is a non-partisan Government and Politics research center at the University of Maryland, College Park The Center's stated mission is that it "provides citizens and policy-makers with researc ...

. Morrill Hall is currently being considered for addition to the

Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrooks ...

historic landmark list. It most recently underwent a renovation in 2003. Campus lore depicts the building as being haunted by

ghosts of the American Civil War Tales of ghosts from the American Civil War have been popularly shared since its end. Among the locales that have become known for Civil War ghost stories are the Sharpsburg battlefield near Sharpsburg, Maryland; the Chickamauga battlefield in ...

. In the years following its construction, Morrill Hall was noted for the view of the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and ...

which could be seen from its

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, f ...

. The Senior Gift of the Class of 2009 lead to the establishment of an

arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...

in the Morrill Quad.

References

{{University of Maryland, College Park University of Maryland, College Park facilities University of Maryland College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Second Empire architecture in Maryland School buildings completed in 1898