May Russell Alumni Lodge

Why Book the Lodge?

The May Russell Alumni Lodge can be reserved by alumni throughout the year, even during academic terms and holiday breaks. It's the perfect retreat for alums hoping to escape the daily grind:

Get away for a weekend on the water
Prepare for a picturesque wedding
Host a ceremony, reception or memorial

How to Book the Lodge

Contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (240) 895-4280 or email alumnioffice@smcm.edu.
We recommend having multiple dates in mind when making your reservation.
If the dates you requested are available, you'll receive a confirmation and payment request via email.
Payments must be made in full within one week of receiving the initial booking email.

Lodge Rates

Week Days (Monday - Thursday): $150 per night
Weekends (Friday - Sunday): $450 per weekend

Lower Level / First Floor

Enjoy an open living/dining room and screened-in porch overlooking the St. Mary’s River.
The living room has a fireplace, but firewood is not provided by the College.
Permission to start a fire is required in advance.

Upstairs Level / Second Floor

There are three bedrooms and one bathroom upstairs.
Bedroom #1 - one double bed
Bedroom #2 - one double bed
Bedroom #3 - two twin beds
Keep in mind that the second floor is only accessible via the staircase; there is no elevator on the premises.

Kitchen Facilities

Guests are welcome—and encouraged—to use the kitchen!
A variety of cookware, tableware, glassware and utensils are available.
Appliances include a coffee maker, microwave and charcoal grill.
Please wash all used dishes and remove your leftover food from the fridge and pantry cabinets before your departure.

Humble Beginnings

The lodge was one of the first two buildings built in 1844 for St. Mary’s Female Seminary along with Calvert Hall.
It began its life as a humble horse and wagon stable.
Believe it or not, but greatness was built into its bones—it’s said that bricks from the 1676 State House were "creatively repurposed" to bolster its construction.

Out of the Ashes

Ironically, the lodge's fortunes rose when Calvert Hall's sank. Calvert burned to the ground on January 5, 1924, but recovered bricks, plus $2,000 in alumnae donations, transformed the former stable into a red brick cottage!
Faculty promptly moved in while Calvert Hall was being rebuilt.

The Alumnae Lodge

On July 4, 1924 the cottage was dedicated anew as the Alumnae Lodge, seven years after the Alumnae Association was formed.
In spite of this new mission, the lodge's original purpose stuck fast and it continued to be known as the “Old Stable” for decades to come.

The President's Home

During the 1930s and 1940s, the lodge served in several other roles, sometimes as the home economics lab and at others as the Seminary’s guest house.
In 1948, May Russell was named president of St. Mary’s Seminary Junior College and it was during her presidency that she would make the “Old Stable” her home.

The Modern Era

After May Russell's departure from the College in 1969, the St. Mary’s City Commission (predecessor to Historic St. Mary’s City) kept the site in use, periodically holding commission meetings until 1974.
In 2006, in memory of May Russell, the College officially renamed the building the May Russell Alumni Lodge, and it serves admirably in that capacity to this day.