The Story
Georgetown University is the oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in the United States. Let's go into its history!
In 1634, Jesuit settlers from England founded the Province of Maryland. After the e Revolutionary War, they planned to establish a permanent Catholic Institution for education.
Pope Pius VI appointed John Carrol as the first head of the Catholic Church in the United States. John purchased the land and built Georgetown University.
Classes began in 1792. In its early years, Georgetown suffered from considerable financial strain. It relied on private funding from wealthy landowners and donations like enslaved African-American workers.
The Civil War nearly closed the school, and over 1000 students and alumni enlisted in the war, serving in the Union and Confederate forces.
Several campus buildings became temporary hospitals after the Second Battle of Bull Run. After the Civil War, Georgetown students selected blue and gray as the school’s official colors.
