Built circa 1860, the Jones Alumni House has changed hands many times throughout its rich history. Originally known as the Bethany House, it was constructed on behalf of businessman Joseph L. Basset, it’s first resident and the owner of the old Bridgewater Hotel. His son, Josiah Gardener Basset, attended Bridgewater State Normal School around this time, graduated from the “advanced class” in 1872 and would later go on to become the Master of the Bigelow School in Boston. Josiah inherited the Bethany house upon his father’s passing in 1896, which he would own until his own death in 1915.
The house was eventually purchased by Dr. John Mulligan and his wife Catherine, where they operated their medical practice until 1968. Freedom and Mildred Wentworth would later move into the Bethany house and convert part of the first floor into The Bethany Bookstore. It remained a pillar of the BSU community until its closure in 1998, at which point it was purchased by former BSU trustee Peter Chase. Having served as the Chase Corporation’s corporate office from for nearly twenty years, Mr. Chase arranged to sell it to Bridgewater State University in late 2016. On October 12, 2018, the house was officially renamed to "The John W. Jones, '62, G'66 & Martha D. Jones, '64, Alumni House" in honor of their combined 80 years of academic, professional, and volunteer service to Bridgewater State University and the Bridgewater State University Alumni Association.
Dean Emerita Martha Jones began her career at Bridgewater in 1966 as the Assistant Dean of Women, and would serve the university in a myriad of significant positions over her 36 year tenure. In recognition of her outstanding service as a senior member of the university’s administration, as an instructor in the university’s College of Education and Allied Studies, and for her dedication to students and her excellence in teaching, the Martha D. Jones Award for Outstanding Dedication to Students was created. Martha was a founding member of the university’s Foundation Board and also served for many years on the executive board of the Bridgewater Alumni Association, including three terms as President.
Professor Emeritus John “Jack” Jones began his was the Assistant Dean of the College of Graduate Studies from 1964 to 1969, where he began his 34-year tenure as Professor of Elementary Education at BSU’s College of Education and Allied Studies. Jack served for over forty years as an executive board member of the Bridgewater State University Alumni Association. He would later establish the John W. Jones and Martha D. Jones College Advancement Fund, designed to support BSU’s most urgent needs with a special interest in student internships.