Williamsburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Priorities of the College of William and Mary
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, July 20, 2013
1. Priorities of the College of William and Mary Marker
Chartered February 8, 1693, by King William and Queen Mary. Main buildings designed by Sir Christopher Wren.
First college in the United States in its antecedents, which go back to the college proposed at Henrico (1619). Second to Harvard University in actual operation.
First American college to receive its charter from the Crown under the Seal of the Privy Council, 1693. Hence it was known as “their Majesties Royal College of William and Mary.”
First and only American college to receive a colonial coat-of-arms from the College of Heralds, 1694.
First college in the United States to have a full Faculty, consisting of a president, six professors, usher, and writing master, 1729.
First college to confer metallic prizes: the gold medals donated by Lord Botetourt in 1771.
First college to establish an inter-collegiate fraternity, the Phi Beta Kappa, December 5, 1776.
First college to have the elective system of study, 1779.
First college to have the honor system, 1779.
First college to become a university, 1779.
First college to have a school of Modern Languages, 1779.
First college to have a school of Municipal and Constitutional Law, 1779.
First college to teach Political Economy, 1784.
First college to have a school of Modern History, 1803.
Erected 1914 by Colonial Capital Branch of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Education. A significant historical date for this entry is February 8, 1861.
Location. 37° 16.247′ N, 76° 42.54′ W. Marker is in Williamsburg, Virginia. It can be reached from the intersection of Jamestown Road (Virginia Route 5) and Richmond Road. Located on the west wall of the Wren Building on the campus of the College of William & Mary.
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Regionally, this marker is on Virginias Peninsula, in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Christopher Wren Building (here, next to this marker); In Gallia Nati Mortui in Virginia (here, next to this marker); Alumni of the College of William and Mary (a few steps from this marker); Sir Christopher Wren Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt (within shouting distance of this marker); Indian School at the College of William & Mary
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, July 20, 2013
2. Wren Building west entrance
Also see . . . College of William & Mary. (Submitted on November 14, 2021.)
Photographed by Bernard Fisher
3. Wren Building
Credits. This page was last revised on November 14, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 21, 2013, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,144 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 21, 2013, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
