Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Gettysburg in Adams County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

The Founding of Gettysburg College

 
 
The Founding of Gettysburg College Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Donovan, August 22, 2015
1. The Founding of Gettysburg College Marker
Inscription.
"The College at that day, was but a large family." - Reverend William F. Eyster, Class of 1839

In 1832, Lutheran theologian Samuel Simon Schmucker founded Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College). Chartered to provide instruction "in learned languages, the arts, sciences and useful literature," the college became one of the first Pennsylvania schools to offer students a liberal art education. The College moved to its current location in 1837 on land purchased from College trustee and abolitionist congressman Thaddeus Stevens. There, students, professors and the College president initially studied, recited, ate and lived together in Pennsylvania Hall, known at the time as the College Edifice.

Though governed "after the manner of a well regulated family," the college was not immune to the national tensions that triggered a terrible civil war. Located in a town just 10 miles from the Mason-Dixon line, the school attracted students from both the North and South. Legend has it that some students aided the escape of runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad, while Southern students brought with them the beliefs and traditions of their hometowns. In classrooms students debated the issues, such as the right of a state to secede from the Union, which at the time cleaved the country in two.

When
Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
Click or scan to see
this page online
war erupted in 1861, one student's earlier prediction that he and his classmates "might in some future day meet in hostile battle array" proved eerily prophetic. Current and former students enlisted in both armies, and in July 1863 some would return to Gettysburg and meet on the battlefield as bitter enemies.

(sidebar)
Thaddeus Stevens
Politician Thaddeus Stevens was one of Gettysburg's most prominent public figures. As leader of the Reconstruction Era Radical Republicans, Stevens fiercely advocated for racial equality and and played an active role in the passage of the post-war amendments that abolished slavery and secured basic rights and citizenship for all Americans. Stevens also championed public education. He helped secure an endowment for Pennsylvania College and sold land to the Trustees that became the College's permanent location.

The College named Stevens Hall after the Trustee as "a perpetual monument to his name and fame." The building initially housed the school's preparatory department.
 
Erected by Gettysburg College.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: EducationWar, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1832.
 
Location. 39° 50.114′ N, 77° 13.954′ W. Marker is in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The Founding of Gettysburg College Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Larry Gertner, May 12, 2017
2. The Founding of Gettysburg College Marker
The marker is near Christ Chapel, just visible in the far right distance, near the white banner.
, in Adams County. Marker is at the intersection of West Stevens Street and Mummasburg Street, on the left when traveling east on West Stevens Street. Marker is located in front of Christ Chapel. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 N Washington St, Gettysburg PA 17325, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Dwight D. Eisenhower (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Office of a President (about 300 feet away); Daniel Alexander Payne (about 300 feet away); President Abraham Lincoln Signing the Emancipation Proclamation (about 400 feet away); The Battle Arrives (about 400 feet away); Stevens Hall (about 400 feet away); Captain James A. Thompson '40 (about 500 feet away); "United to Serve" (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gettysburg.
 
Also see . . .  Gettysburg College. (Submitted on September 1, 2015.)
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on May 17, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 31, 2015, by Bill Donovan of Maplewood, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 381 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos:   1. submitted on August 31, 2015, by Bill Donovan of Maplewood, New Jersey.   2. submitted on May 12, 2017, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

Share this page.  
Share on Tumblr
m=87976

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 19, 2024