Uncovering MSU's First Dormitory: 1857-1876

Ever hear of Saints Rest on the MSU campus? It just happened to be MSU's very first dormitory.

When the campus opened in 1857, there were only three buildings, which included Saints Rest. Nineteen years later – 1876 - while the students were enjoying their winter break, Saints Rest burned down. The Lansing Fire Department took 45 minutes to arrive...and by then it was too late. It was never rebuilt, and over time, memories of the old dorm faded and it was basically forgotten altogether.

Saints Rest was MSU's (then known as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan) second building (the other two buildings were a horse barn and College Hall). It was the lone campus dorm for thirteen years until Williams Hall was constructed in 1870.

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Saints Rest didn't even have a proper building name; it was given a handful of nicknames by students and faculty, and not called 'Saints Rest' until after it burned down. The name came from The Saints' Everlasting Rest, a devotional hymn written by Richard Baxter in 1650.

In the early 2000s, new interest in Saints Hall arose and on June 6, 2005, archaeology professors and students started excavating. Some of those images can be seen if you scroll down to the photo gallery below.