Woodstock College was founded in 1869 in the township of Woodstock, MD. The college served the Maryland Province of Jesuits, and later the Maryland-New York Province, as the scholasticate for Jesuits under formation. During its tenure (1869-1974), it was the intellectual center of American Jesuit scholarship, with theologians such as John Courtney Murray, Gustave Weigel, Avery Dulles, Joseph Fitzmyer, and Walter Burkhardt counted among its ranks. It was also a hub of Jesuit information, with a printing press and publications, such as the Woodstock Letters, that served to communicate Jesuit activity amongst the society.
Due to generational changes within the society stemming from Vatican II, and a move towards city involvement, Woodstock relocated to New York City from 1970 to 1974. The college closed its doors at the end of this period, as the American Assistancy chose to consolidate its scholasticates, closing a number of other such institutions. With the closure of that incarnation, the Woodstock Library and archives were moved to Georgetown University, Washington, DC, to serve as the research resource for the newly established Woodstock Theological Center, a think tank that continued the legacy of Woodstock until its closure in 2013.