Winchester Hall, at 12 E. Church St. in Downtown Frederick, was the first home of the Woman’s College of Frederick. This location was used from 1893 until 1897 when Margaret Scholl Hood gifted the College a 28-acre tract of farm land that became Hood’s campus today.
The Frederick Female Seminary was chartered in 1840 and proved immediately popular. Originally housed at a different site in Frederick, MD, it became immediately evident that a larger facility was required. Funding was secured and just three years later, ground broke on the original building that would later be known as Winchester Hall. The buildings were largely designed by Hiram Winchester, who was the first president of the Frederick Female Seminary. The architectural style is Greek Revival, a style that was very popular in the Northeast during the early 1800s. Greek architecture was also associated with education.
The first building was completed in 1845, but it was almost immediately apparent that more space was needed. Funding for a second building was secured and what was known as “West Hall” was completed in 1857. West Hall was a copy of the original building, thereafter recognized as “East Hall”. The two buildings were linked by a two-story corridor.
After the Battle of Antietam, the Union Army took possession of the school for use as a hospital. Half of the building was occupied by the army and the other half by the school, but the school had to close soon after the occupation. Hiram Winchester was able to get the entire building back in 1863, but the effects of the war took their toll on the school and on Winchester. He retired soon after with health problems and, while the school pressed on, it never fully recovered.
In 1893, the Potomac Synod of the Reformed Church purchased the buildings and equipment and established the Woman’s College of Frederick, to move the woman’s seminary in Mercersburg, PA. The College owned and used Winchester Hall until 1930. Although the College changed its name to Hood College and moved to its current campus, Winchester Hall was retained for many years for use as dormitories and classrooms. In 1930 the College leased the property to the Frederick County Government and in August of 1931, the county commissioners purchased the building for $35,000.
