February 8: Charter of the College of William and Mary (1693)
Prayer Idea
Pray for students at colleges and universities and the campus ministries sharing Christ with them. Pray for peace on campuses as students and faculty seek to live with and learn from each other.
History Note
On February 8, 1693, King William III and Queen Mary II of England signed the charter establishing a new institution of higher learning in the Colony of Virginia. The charter called for “a certain Place of universal Study, a perpetual College of Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, and other good Arts and Sciences.” In honor of the monarchs, the school was named the College of William and Mary.
Construction began in 1695 in the town of Williamsburg. George Washington received his surveyor’s license from the school and later served as its chancellor. Three presidents studied at William and Mary: Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler.
The Wren Building, named after English architect Christopher Wren, was originally built between 1695 and 1699. The building has burned three times—in 1705, 1859, and 1862. Portions of the building have been kept during each reconstruction, so the college claims it is the oldest college building still standing in the United States. Photo by William Silver / Shutterstock.com.
Learn More
This video provides a quick look at the historic buildings on the William and Mary campus.
In the 1920s, philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. led a project to restore buildings in Williamsburg. Colonial Williamsburg opened as a living history museum in 1932. Visit Homeschool History to learn more.
