Historic Catholic minor seminary in Maryland, founded 1830, destroyed by fire in 1911, closed 1977.
St. Charles College was a minor seminary established in 1830 through the generosity of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. The Sulpician Fathers operated the institution to train Catholic priests. The original campus in Ellicott City grew substantially over the 19th century, with major expansions in 1859 and 1878 to accommodate increasing enrollment. On March 16, 1911, a catastrophic fire destroyed the main building, but no lives were lost among the 200+ faculty and students present.
Following the 1911 fire, the college was quickly rebuilt in Catonsville, Maryland. In 1969, the high school department and boarding school were closed, and the junior college merged with St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore. The Catonsville campus continued as 'St. Mary's Seminary College' with expanded ecumenical participation until its closure in 1977, when the property was sold to Erickson Retirement Communities.
The St. Charles College Historic District in Catonsville was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, with a boundary increase in 1987. The district comprises six interconnected buildings in Italian Renaissance style, including the Chapel ('Our Lady of the Angels'), Administration Building, Old Dormitory, Dining Hall, Convent, and Power House. The chapel features a historic Casavant Frères pipe organ (Opus 808, 1919).