Then and Now, Sept. 9, 2026

College Hall was built at the top of a dirt path that would become East State Street in 1872 by the Vermont Methodist Seminary, a school for women. The other buildings on the campus at that time were structures left over from the Civil War hospital that had operated there until 1865, as can be seen in this stereoview image from the late 1870s. Over the years the old hospital buildings were gradually replaced by newer structures, especially by successive occupants Montpelier Seminary and Vermont Junior College. The biggest physical change came in the 1950s when the buildings of “College Row” along College Street were completed (mostly hidden by trees in the “now” photograph). As other changes have been made to the campus, College Hall has been a constant presence and symbol of the community’s commitment to education. College Hall was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Historic photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society; modern photo and text by Paul Carnahan.