University of Mary Washington Then & Now

As noted in University of Mary Washington: A Centennial History, 1908-2008,  “in 1944 the College had purchased for $50,000 a brick residence located diagonally across from George Washington Hall.”¹ The house was named Brent Hall in honor of Margaret Brent, an Englishwoman who came to America in 1638. ² Margaret Brent eventually acquired “the site of what would become Fredericksburg.”³ From 1944 to 1947, Brent House served as the President’s home. After that it was the French language house residence hall, and then was “converted to administrative office space.”⁴

Today Brent House is where Emergency Management and Safety and the University Police are located.

Woman Walking Toward Brent House, 1952 "Woman Walking Toward Brent House," 1952, Centennial Collection, UMW Digital Archives, University of Mary Washington.

Brent House, February 19, 2014 Jessica Reingold, "Brent House," February 19, 2014, Personal Collection of Jessica Reingold, University of Mary Washington.