Building photo by Robert Keller
Join us in preserving and restoring this historic building
U.S. Civil War hospital, 1863-1865
Seminary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1948-1951
National Register of Historic Places, 1973; PA Historical and Museum Commission State Marker Program, 1993
Note: This link will transfer you to our fiscal sponsor's website, the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia.
In his book about the Montgomery Bus Boycott, STRIDE TOWARDS FREEDOM, Dr. King says this:
"Not until I entered Crozer Theological Seminary in 1948, however, did I begin a serious intellectual quest for a method to eliminate social evil…I came early to Walter Rauschenbusch's Christianity and the Social Crisis, which left an indelible imprint on my thinking by giving me a theological basis for the social concern which had already grown up in me as a result of my early experiences…
…It has been my conviction ever since reading Rauschenbusch that any religion which professes to be concerned about the souls of men and is not concerned about the social and economic conditions that scar the soul is a spiritually moribund religion only waiting for the day to be buried."
REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
The building was constructed in 1857 by John Price Crozer, a prominent industrialist and philanthropist, as a teachers' training college.
John P. Crozer was committed to education and social progress, establishing this institution to provide quality training for educators in the growing nation.
In 1861, the building became a Civil War hospital, housing both Union and Confederate soldiers after the bloody battle of Gettysburg.
Physical Evidence Remains:
The visible outlines of openings cut into doors to facilitate the distribution of food to wounded Confederate soldiers can still be seen today. In the building's cupola, signatures and addresses of both Union and Confederate soldiers have been preserved.
Cupola Access
Cupola Inscriptions
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived and studied at Crozer Theological Seminary from 1948 to 1951, a formative period in his intellectual, spiritual, and leadership development.
Old Main was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. In 1992, a state marker was placed at the site through the efforts of Chester resident, Steven Evans.
Your support funds preservation and restoration efforts with the goal of honoring this historic building and creating needed spaces for the community.
Note: This link will transfer you to our fiscal sponsor's website, the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia.
Documents or photos from Dr. King's time at Old Main? We'd graciously appreciate your contributions.
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