Crozer Theological Seminary facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Old Main
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Old Main Building of Crozer Theological Seminary, November 2009
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 Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | 21st St. and Upland Ave., Upland, Pennsylvania |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1857 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001626 |
| Added to NRHP | June 18, 1973 |
The Crozer Theological Seminary was a special school in Upland, Pennsylvania. It was a place where people from different Christian groups could study to become religious leaders. This school started after a "Normal School" was built there in 1858 by a rich fabric maker named John Price Crozer. The main building, called Old Main, was even used as a hospital during the American Civil War.
From 1869 to 1970, the seminary was a school for the American Baptist Church. It helped train students to become Baptist ministers (religious leaders). A very famous student, Martin Luther King Jr., studied here from 1948 to 1951. He earned a special college degree in religious studies called a Bachelor of Divinity.
In 1970, the school joined with another seminary to form the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, New York. The Old Main building is now used for offices by the Crozer Hospital, which is part of the Crozer-Chester Medical Center. The building itself is a three-story stone building covered in stucco. It has a unique "F" shape with different sections connected by a hallway. Each section has a pointy roof and a small dome-like structure called a cupola on top. The biggest cupola is on the central part of the building. The land around the seminary is now a beautiful garden called the Crozer Arboretum.
The Old Main building was recognized as an important historical place in 1973. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
History of Crozer Seminary
The school that became the Crozer Theological Seminary first started as the Normal School of Upland. It was built by John Price Crozer, who was a very wealthy textile manufacturer. A "Normal School" was a type of school that trained teachers. When the American Civil War began, the school had to close down.
Civil War Hospital
During the Civil War, Mr. Crozer let the Union army use the building as a hospital. It was a very large hospital with a thousand beds. About 300 nurses, helpers, and guards worked there. Most of the patients were Union soldiers. However, after the battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, many wounded soldiers from the Confederate army also needed care. So, they were also accepted at the hospital.
Over the course of the war, more than 6,000 patients were treated at this hospital. Many soldiers who died there were buried in the nearby Chester Rural Cemetery. These were some of the first burials in that cemetery.
Becoming a Seminary
After the war ended, Mr. Crozer got his building back. He then sold it to Colonel Theodore Hyatt. It was used as the Pennsylvania Military Academy until 1868.
When John Price Crozer passed away in 1866, his family decided to honor him. They changed the school into the Crozer Theological Seminary. His son worked to hire teachers for this new religious school.
In 1970, the seminary moved to Rochester, New York. It merged with another school to create the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. The old seminary building then became part of the Crozer Hospital. Today, the building is used for administrative offices by the Crozer-Chester Medical Center.
Crozer Campus Buildings
The large campus has many acres of land. It includes the Crozer Arboretum, which is a garden with many different kinds of trees and plants. Here are some of the buildings on the campus:
- Humpstone
- President's House
- Pollard House
- CHEC
- Evans House
- Crozer Hall
- Neisser House
- Lewis House
- Vedder House
- Davis House
- Sunnyside House
- Westin House
- Franklin House
Pearl Hall Library
Pearl Hall is a beautiful library building on the campus. It is made of a type of stone called serpentine. The library first opened on June 4, 1871. A man named William Bucknell paid for the building. He was a generous supporter of Bucknell University. He built Pearl Hall to remember his late wife, Margaret Crozer. She was the daughter of John Price Crozer.
Mr. Bucknell spent $30,000 to build Pearl Hall. He also gave an extra $25,000 to buy books for the library. Plus, he set aside $10,000 in a special fund to help pay for the library's needs in the future.
Famous People Who Studied Here
Many important people studied at Crozer Theological Seminary, including:
- George Barbier, an actor.
- J. Pius Barbour, a pastor and civil rights leader. He was a mentor to Martin Luther King Jr. and the first African-American to graduate from Crozer Theological Seminary.
- John Warren Davis, a politician and judge from New Jersey. He also taught at Crozer for three years.
- William Augustus Jones Jr., a minister and civil rights leader.
- Martin Luther King Jr., a famous Baptist minister and leader in the civil rights movement.
- Samuel D. Proctor, a minister, teacher, and humanitarian.
Notable Teachers
Some well-known teachers at Crozer Theological Seminary included:
- John Warren Davis, who taught Hebrew and Greek.
- Lemuel Moss, a professor who taught about the New Testament.
- James B. Pritchard, who taught about the history and meaning of the Old Testament.
- Henry Clay Vedder, a professor who taught about Church history.
Images for kids
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A map of the Crozer Chester Medical Center campus.
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Crozer Hall, one of the buildings on campus.
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Lewis House, another building at the seminary.
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Vedder House, part of the Crozer campus.
