About

On the campus of William and Mary the Wren Building was built in 1695.

Considered the oldest academic structure in America, the Wren Building served as a Confederate hospital and quarters in 1861. Confederate troops under Brig. Gen. Jubal Early camped here prior to the May 5, 1862, Battle of Williamsburg.

Later, the Fifth Pennsylvania Calvary burned the Wren Building to prevent Confederate snipers from hiding inside. The building's walls were absorbed into the Union's defenses of Williamsburg.