"The "College Hotel" (named Ewell Hall in 1894 upon the death of President
Benjamin S. Ewell) was purchased in 1859 to house boys who had been displaced by
the fire that had gutted the Wren Building that year. It was purchased for $4,600
from Sherod T. Bowman, a local brickmaker, with the understanding that Bowman would
donate $250 of the proceeds to the fund to rebuild the Wren Building. Located directly
across Jamestown Road from the Brafferton, the Colege Hotel served as a dormitory
until 1927, when it was demolished."
--Williamsburg Reunion - 1960 and Before
"In 1852, the College Hotel was built across Jamestown Road to house the college
steward, who had formerly used The Brafferton. After the college reopened in October
1865, and while the main building was still in ruins, President Benjamin Ewell noted
that the College Hotel was large enough to accommodate the steward's family and at
least twenty boarders, and provide one or two "recitation rooms." The building later
was used as a women's dormitory and called Ewell Hall, the first of several
buildings to honor Ewell."--Hark Upon the Gale
Taken with permission from Williamsburg Reunion - 1960 and Before.