Rear
Admiral George Dewey, a Montpelier resident, commanded the Asiatic
Squadron in the war with Spain (1898) that defeated the Spanish
fleet at the Battle of Manila Bay. Prior to accepting an appointment
at the United States Naval Academy, he had attended Norwich University,
from 1851 to 1854.
To honor the Admiral and his achievement, it was decided to build
a new building named after him. Ground was broken for Dewey Hall
in 1899, and it was completed in 1902. Originally, it was two stories
high, with the lower floor occupied by offices of the President,
Commandant, Assistant Treasurer, 
Stenographer,
and the university library and museum. Rooms for trustees and faculty,
an assembly room/chapel with a seating of five hundred, and the
United States Weather Bureau were located on the second floor.
In 1908, the library and part of the museum was moved to the Carnegie Library building (now Chaplin Hall). In 1910, the Weather Bureau was also moved, with the extra space used for the Military Department and other purposes. Defective wiring in the building caused a major fire on the morning of October 27, 1925. Total damage was estimated at between $25,000 and $35,000. Dewey Hall was rebuilt as a three storied structure.
Today, the Department of Economics and Business Administration is located in Dewey Hall with a computer lab in the basement.
In 1910, the building known today as Ainsworth Hall was constructed as the United States Weather Bureau on property belonging to Norwich University. The building was handed back to the University in 1948, and it was remodeled as the Administrative Headquarters of the campus in 1951 at a cost of $30,000. Offices moved into the building included those of the President, Dean, Treasurer, Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds, and the Director of Admissions. By 1955, growth of the institution necessitated the relocation of the Administration back to Dewey Hall. Also, it became necessary to demolish Ainsworth Infirmary to make room for Harmon Hall. Hence, the infirmary was moved to the former Weather Bureau/Administration building. Additional space and facilities were added at a cost of $100,000.
The
original infirmary was built in 1915 through the efforts of Mrs.
Laura Ainsworth, widow of Captain James E. Ainsworth (NU 1853).
Captain Ainsworth was an engineer who laid more than 2,000 miles
of railroad tracks in the Midwest. When the infirmary was demolished
and moved to the Weather Bureau/Administration building, the original
name was kept.
Today, the building is used solely for academic purposes, housing the Division of Social Sciences.
The clinics of the Green Mountain Family Practice and the campus infirmary are located in Marsilius Hall, which is not owned by the University.
ADAMS TOWER
The Adams Bell Tower was gifted to Norwich University as a memorial to the mother of Dr. Porter H. Adams, president of the institution from 1934 to 1939. It houses the carillon that was also gifted to the University.
When the tower was built in 1956, the carillon contained 36 bells but this number was increased to 47 in 1959. The bells range in size from one that is only ten inches in diameter to one that is forty inches in diameter and weighs 1200 pounds.
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Source: Guinn, Robert Darius, The History of Norwich University, 1912-1965.