Manokin Hall

Maryland State Teachers College’s main building, later renamed Holloway Hall, housed dormitories for its female students on its second and third floors. A separate dormitory building for male students opened in 1951. However, increasing enrollment numbers demanded new housing options. In 1958, STC’s President, Dr. Wilbur Devilbiss, announced plans to increase the number of buildings on campus, including the addition of a women’s dormitory. Four years later, in 1962, money was appropriated by the state legislature for the construction of a women’s dormitory at the school.

Construction on Manokin Hall ended in 1964. The building was a brick structure of three stories located south of the main building and adjacent to the men's dorm. Ninety-two women moved into the new dormitory in September of the same year of its completion. Holloway Hall continued to serve as a residential option for female students at the school. Manokin Hall was the sixth building constructed as a part of the school’s campus, and the fourth oldest of Salisbury University’s currently operating buildings.

Manokin Hall was not officially named until a dedication ceremony in 1966 that named all of the campus buildings. Both residence halls were named after local waterways, beginning a naming tradition for dormitories built in the future. The women’s dorm was named after the Manokin River in nearby Somerset County. The hall would later be designated as a non-smoking dormitory. It also underwent two renovations. The lounge areas were renovated in 1984. The entire building was renovated again in 2010. 

Manokin Hall continues to operate as a residence hall of Salisbury University. It is now coeducational, and houses seventy-seven freshmen. Rooms are in a suite style, with two roommates sharing a linked bathroom with another pair of students. In addition to student rooms, there are two lounges, a kitchen, and laundry facilities. This dormitory serves as one of the two primary residence halls for freshmen in Salisbury University’s Honors College.

Bradley, Sylvia. Salisbury: From Normal School to University 1925 - 2001. Salisbury, Maryland. Salisbury University Press, 2002.

“New Central Unit is School’s Pride.” The Holly Leaf October 1928.

“Opening of New Dorm Delayed.” The Holly Leaf October 16th 1951.

Salisbury University. Manokin Hall. Salisbury University. Accessed June 24, 2020, https://www.salisbury.edu/administration/student-affairs/housing-and-residence-life/residence-halls/manokin.aspx.

“To Be Dedicated: Student Union Building.” The Holly Leaf November 23rd 1966.