The Rossborough Inn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Rossborough Inn |
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| General information | |
| Status | Oldest building on campus and in the City of College Park |
| Type | Enrollment Management Offices |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Location | South campus, on Baltimore Avenue University of Maryland, College Park campus |
| Coordinates | 38°59′07″N 76°56′15″W / 38.9853°N 76.9376°W |
| Named for | The Ross Family (proprietors) |
| Groundbreaking | 1798 |
| Completed | 1812 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | John Ross (?) |
The Rossborough Inn is a very old building at the University of Maryland at College Park. It faces a main road called Baltimore Avenue/United States Route 1. Work on the building started in 1798 and finished in 1812. This makes it the oldest building on the university campus. It is even older than the university itself, which started in 1856. It is also the oldest building in the nearby City of College Park. The inn is built in a style called Federal style. Later, in 1938, some lower parts were added during big updates. The Rossborough Inn is officially listed as a historic place.
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A Home for Travelers
This building was first an inn and tavern. It was built by a person named John Ross. He wanted to serve people traveling between Baltimore and Washington D.C. These travelers used an old road called the Washington and Baltimore Turnpike.
The name "Rossborough" comes from the name of the area where the inn was built. This area was named after a landowner called Richard Ross. Sometimes people even called it "Rossburg."
By 1835, the inn was not making enough money. So, it stopped being a business. The building then became a farmhouse. Its owner was Charles Benedict Calvert. His family owned a large farm nearby called the Riversdale Plantation. In 1858, Mr. Calvert gave the land where the Rossborough building stood to the Maryland Agricultural College. This college later became the University of Maryland at College Park.
A Civil War Headquarters
During the Civil War, the Rossborough Inn was used as a home for university teachers. In 1864, something exciting happened. A Confederate Army General named Bradley Tyler Johnson and his soldiers came to the university. They used the Rossborough Inn as their main office.
What It's Used For Now
The Rossborough Inn has been used for many different things over the years. Today, it holds the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. This is where students go to apply to the university.
In the past, it was a club for university teachers and former students. It also had a restaurant called "The Carriage House." This restaurant served lunch on weekdays.
Spooky Stories
Some people on campus say that the Rossborough Inn is haunted! They believe ghosts of the American Civil War might still be there.
Special Features
The university has done a lot of work to update the building. The U.S. government even helped pay for some of these updates. Because of this, the building looks much more modern than it did originally.
Above the front door, there is a special carving. It is the head of a figure called Silenus. This carving is made from a very rare type of stone called Coade stone.
