History of Randolph-Macon College

Then and Now: Life at the College in 1900 vs 2000

The Campus

THEN: One hundred years ago, the Randolph-Macon campus consisted of 12 acres beautified and shaded by a fine grove of oaks and maples. The 1899 -1900 college catalog says the grounds had been thoroughly under-drained; gravel walks have been laid out, and many other improvements conducive to the comfort and convenience of the students have been made. Facilities included eight cottage-style dormitories, a lecture room building and chemical laboratory, the chapel, the library, literary halls for the literary societies, a gymnasium, a science hall, and an observatory.

NOW: More than 60 buildings rest on the 116 acres of today's campus. Many facilities have been constructed or renovated in recent years, including Copley Science Center, Brock Recreation and Fitness Center, McGraw-Page Library, the Hugh Stephens Baseball Complex, and the townhouse apartment complex. Three buildings that have been part of the campus for more than one hundred years are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Washington and Franklin Hall (1872), renovated in 1987; Pace-Armistead Hall (1876), renovated in 1997; and the Old Chapel (1878), currently under renovation.

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