Pocomoke Hall

In 1958, College President Dr. Wilbur Devilbiss announced plans to increase the number of buildings at Maryland State Teachers College. This included the construction of two additional dormitories. The first, later named Manokin Hall, was a women's dorm and was completed in 1964. The second dormitory was for male students. Funding came piecemeal in 1963 with an initial $390,000 appropriated for the new men's dormitory, and an extra $100,000 would come later. It would be the last dormitory at the school built with state finances. Because of this, students at Maryland State Teachers College would see a rise in tuition.

President Devilbiss intended the residence hall to open in time for the start of the 1966-1967 academic year. However, construction of the new dormitory did not begin until spring of 1966. Male students who were promised on-campus housing in the new building were placed in nearby private homes. The new dorm finally opened in 1967, but had already been named Pocomoke Hall, after the Pocomoke River, at a ceremony in 1966 in which all of Salisbury State College's buildings were named. The other two dormitories were also named after waterways on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and this trend would continue for future residence halls.

Following the architectural style of Wicomico and Manokin Halls, Pocomoke Hall was a brick structure of three stories. It could house 106 male students. The building was located south of Holloway Hall and the other two dormitories. A fourth residence hall was intended to be added to form a quadrangular formation of the dormitories. In 1971, it was announced that Pocomoke Hall would then shift to a freshman women’s dormitory. Since its construction, the building has seen two renovations. The first renovated the lounge areas in 1984. The entire building was renovated again in 2010.

Pocomoke 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.

“Dormitory Shakeup Announced.” The SSC Informer December 1971.

“Dr. Devilbiss Discusses Projected View of Campus.” The Holly Leaf March 3rd 1967.

Salisbury University. Pocomoke Hall. Salisbury University. Accessed July 1st 2020. https://www.salisbury.edu/administration/student-affairs/housing-and-residence-life/residence-halls/pocomoke.aspx.

“Student Union Building Dedicated.” The Holly Leaf December 15th 1966.

Quillen, Jim. “New Men’s Dormitory Under Construction.” The Holly Leaf May 20th 1966.

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