"New College" (1802-1803)

This brick structure was the first building constructed on the seven acre lot now known as the John Dickinson Campus of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It stood on the site of the present West College. This "New College" (distinct from the "Old College," a building along Liberty Avenue) was authorized by the Board of Trustees on September 26, 1798. The cornerstone was officially laid on June 20, 1799. The building was designed by John Keen of the Carpenter’s Company in Philadelphia, and was constructed at a cost of $12,000.

Tragedy struck when, less than two months after opening its doors to students, "New College" burned to the ground during a windy and snowy night on February 3, 1803. News of the tragedy appeared throughout the country, including in New York's Weekly Museum of February 19, 1803 (as shown).