Baltimorean Jane Bay was born in 1800 and died at the age of 76. An article in The Week, more than 85 years after her death, described her “as a tall, rather masculine woman, kindly disposed towards children, but averse to making friends with grown-ups.” The school newspaper reported, “She was a spiritualist, and frequently held meetings in her home. On account of her peculiarity and somewhat isolated life she lived, little was known about her.”
Jane Bay never married and had no children of her own, and when she died, she left her estate for the founding of a home for boys. In 1915, her trustees partnered with McDonogh and bequeathed the Jane Bay estate, valued at $250,000 to the School. The funds were used to construct a dormitory on the site of the original Foxleigh mansion. It was named for the spinster, and the boys chosen to live there were designated Jane Bay Scholars.
Jane Bay’s legacy lives on in a second Jane Bay dormitory that opened in 1969. Bricks from the original building were covered in blue-gray uniform material and sold as mementos —or doorstops.
