Expansion and the Civil War

Old South and Old North were the only significant buildings on campus until the 1830s. It was at that time that Georgetown desperately needed more space to accommodate its rising enrollment. While building, the university ran into severe financial distress and faced the possibility of bankruptcy. The way Georgetown dealt with this crisis highlights one of the darkest parts of its history.

Maryland Jesuits had been involved in the slave trade since the seventeenth century. In 1838, Father Thomas Mulledy, president of Georgetown, sold the university's 272 slaves to a Louisianan slaveowner. Georgetown used the funds from the sale of its slaves to finish the construction of the new building to the west of Old South. The "College Building" was home to a dining room where students ate in silence, a chapel where students worshiped daily, a study hall, and student housing. Barrack-style bunks were common housing accommodations at this time in order to enforce discipline. Eventually became known as Mulledy Hall to memorialize the president who oversaw its construction. However, amidst growing pressure from the Georgetown community in 2016, the university's Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation decided to rename the building in honor of Isaac Hawkins, the first slave listed on the bill of the sale. Descendants of Georgetown's slaves were invited to attend the rededication ceremony and several descendants attend Georgetown today.

During the Civil War, Georgetown's enrollment dropped from 313 students to just 17. More than 1,100 students and alumni fought in the War, mostly for the Confederate. Some battles took place near Georgetown's campus and about 1,400 Union soldiers took refuge in Old South, Mulledy, and Maguire, the now classroom building to the left of where Old South used to be. After the Civil War in the 1870s, Georgetown adopted its school colors blue (the uniform color of the North) and gray (the uniform color of the South) to symbolize national reunification. These colors are still the official colors of the university.

In 1892, the Quadrangle was lowered in order to construct a new church on the hilltop. Dahlgren Chapel was the first building at Georgetown to be funded by philanthropic donations. Elizabeth Dahlgren funded its construction in memory of her infant son, Joseph Dahlgren. Her husband, John Dahlgren was an alum of the university. The chapel is home to the original cross brought over by the first American Jesuits. In 2015, the cross was blessed by Pope Francis during his trip to the United States. Today, Dahlgren celebrates daily Mass and hosts regular events to promote interreligious dialogue.

You are about to leave the Quadrangle through Healy Hall. If you'd like, you can participate in a Georgetown tradition of not stepping on the school seal outside the main doors of Healy.

GEORGETOWN TODAY

Learn more about Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation here.