The first building of Yale College was erected near this spot in 1718 and removed in 1782. 
To commemorate the site, this table is placed by the students of Yale University. 1901
Gentis cunabula nostrae

The cradle of our people

300 College Street, Bingham Hall

This plaque is in commemoration of the first building at Yale, named “College House,” constructed in 1718 when Yale College moved from Saybrook to New Haven, Connecticut. The building was originally erected where present day Bingham Hall now stands, at the corner of Chapel and College Street. True to its name, “College House” contained all things necessary for student life within its wooden walls: a library, student rooms, and a combined chapel and dining hall.

The building was eventually torn down in stages between 1775 and 1782. Eventually, in 1887, Osborn Hall was built in its place, and the plaque was first placed there in 1901. However, Osborn Hall was demolished in 1926 and replaced by Bingham Hall in an attempt to unify campus architecture and expand student housing. The plaque was removed from Osborn Hall and subsequently placed in its present day location on Bingham Hall, likely to preserve the history of Yale’s humble origins.

Gentis cunabula nostrae

Virgil is regarded as one of the greatest ancient Roman poets and is most famous for his twelve book epic poem, the Aeneid. The Aeneid recounts the journey of Aeneas from the fall of Troy to the establishment of Trojans on the Italian peninsula. The phrase gentis cunabula nostrae comes from Aeneid 3.105. Here, Apollo, the god of the sun, has directed Aeneas to seek out the land of his ancestors, where his descendants will thrive. Anchises, the father of Aeneas, determines this place to be Crete and boasts about the hundred cities and abundance of power that lie within Crete, “the cradle of [his] people.” “The cradle of our people,” however, lies within the walls of this university, which has an expensive reach to thousands of cities across the globe and bolsters the success of its pupils and their progeny.

The inscription borrows two conventions of classical Latin epigraphic orthography. First, it uses word puncts, namely raised dots to separate words. Secondly, it uses V for capital U.