Hood College is a co-educational liberal arts college serving 2,365 students, 1,359 of whom are undergraduates. Located in Frederick, Maryland, the school lies 50 miles west of Baltimore and northwest of Washington, DC.
Established in 1893 by the Potomac Synod of the Reformed Church of the United States as the Woman's College of Frederick, the school was officially chartered in 1897 "with the purpose and object of creating and maintaining a college for the promotion and advancement of women, and the cultivation and diffusion of Literature, Science and Art." The college's founding was the result of the Potomac Synod's decision to transition the coeducational Mercersburg College into the all-male Mercersburg Academy and establish a women's college south of the Mason-Dixon line. In 1913, the institution was renamed Hood College by its Board of Trustees to honor its most generous benefactor, Margaret Scholl Hood, whose land donation allowed the school to move from rented facilities in downtown Frederick to its own campus in the northwest region of the City.
An all-female institution until 1971, the college initially admitted men only as commuters. This continued until 2003, when male students were extended the option of residential status. The influx of new students has led to major changes at the school, including extensive dormitory renovations, and the construction of a new athletic building and a new tennis and aquatic center.
The Pergola:
Located in the center of Hood's residential quad since 1915, the Pergola is a wooden dome-like structure covered with wisteria. Before 1915 a Pergola was located at the East Church Street campus and was the inspiration for the current structure. Several traditions are associated with the Pergola. Students are not to speak any harsh words under the Pergola or "split poles" with friends, as this might lead to a failed friendship after graduation.
A beautiful campus to drive or walk thru.
source: wikipedia read more
