Laban Morey Wheaton built this home for his mother, Fanny Morey Wheaton, after the death of his father in 1846. Originally built on the southeast corner of Howard and Main Streets, it was moved across the street in 1856 when additions were planned for Old Metcalf Hall. The house was sold to Edwin Freeman in 1865, but in 1897 it came into the possession of the Seminary. Holmes Cottage was named for Rev. Franklin Holmes and his wife Mrs. Martha Sawyer Holmes. Martha Sawyer, an 1839 graduate and the principal of the Seminary from 1842 to 1846, married Rev. Franklin Holmes, Wheaton trustee from 1853 to 1859, and they lived in the house that bears their name. More »

The new Seminary Hall, the main classroom building, was constructed in 1849 to replace "The Sem." Seminary Hall was enlarged in 1878 to include a science wing (south wing), gymnasium and library (west wing), additional classrooms (east wing), grand stairway and cupola. Seminary Hall was first painted yellow and white in 1900. It was named in 1910 for Mary Lyon, a pioneer in American education who acted as a consultant to the Wheaton family at the founding of the Seminary and established the curriculum. More »