Homewood House Sponsors Contest to Spur Student Interest


     In an effort to encourage more students to get to know
Homewood House and its history, the museum is sponsoring an essay
contest for freshmen and sophomores with a cash prize of $1,000.
     Homewood, which sits at the top of the "beach" adjacent to
the Eisenhower Library on the Homewood campus, is the restored
country home of Charles Carroll Jr. and his wife, Harriet Chew
Carroll. It was constructed between 1801 and 1803 by Carroll, who
was the son of a signer of the Declaration of Independence and
one of America's richest men. Since Homewood was sold in 1839 to
merchant Samuel Wyman, it has been a schoolhouse; the original
Hopkins Club; offices of the university president, provost  and
secretary; general office space; and a museum. In 1976 it was
dedicated as a National Historic Landmark, and in 1982 it
underwent extensive renovations, which recreated Homewood's early
19th-century appearance. It was opened again as a museum in
September 1987.
     Students are invited to tour the house, pick up an
application form and write an essay (maximum length, 1,500 words)
exploring the house, its collections, its architecture or its
environment. The essays must be submitted by March 15 and will be
judged by a panel of Hopkins faculty and Homewood Advisory
Council members. The award winner will be announced in May.