Lima in Livingston County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Genesee Wesleyan Seminary and Genesee College
Historic Lima
| | Settled 1788 | |
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, May 11, 2025
1. Genesee Wesleyan Seminary and Genesee College Marker
In 1830, Lima was chosen by the Genesee Methodist Episcopal Conference as the site of Genesee Wesleyan Seminary. The campus is located at the top of Genesee Street.
Destroyed by fire in 1842, the Seminary building was replaced by the one that we see here today. As one of the earliest co-educational secondary institutions in the country, its reputation and numbers grew rapidly, making Lima a nationally-recognized center of learning.
Educational offerings on the Seminary campus were expanded around 1850 with the chartering of Genesee College and construction of College Hall. The College fragmented in 1869, and many of the faculty and students removed to Syracuse, forming the nucleus of Syracuse University.
The Seminary graduated its last class in I41. Elim Bible Institute purchased the facilities in 1951, continuing the educational function of the campus.
[ Photo Captions: ]
- Attracting Genesee Wesleyan Seminary to Lima involved a huge commitment from the community. A large number of Lima citizens pledged a total of nearly $11,000 in cash, labor, and materials.
- Below: Excerpt from 1841 GWS Catalogue, and R.M. Bailey student portraits.
- Above: George Henry Jarvis Raymond, GWS graduate and co-founder of the New York Times.
- Right: Early
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1830.
Location. 42° 54.281′ N, 77° 36.815′ W. Marker is in Lima, New York, in Livingston County. It is at the intersection of West Main Street (U.S. 20) and Genesee Street, on the right when traveling west on West Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lima NY 14485, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York, specifically in Western New York, in the Finger Lakes, and in the Rochester Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, New Netherland, and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Ska-Hase-Ga-O (a few steps from this marker); A 17th-Century Iroquois Village (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Union Lodge No. 45 (about 600 feet away); Gandichiragou (about 600 feet away); Repulse Fire Co. (about 600 feet away); Lima Bank Robbed (about 700 feet away); History and Architecture (about 700 feet away); Francis M. Dalton (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lima.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Site of Ska-Hase-Ga-O (was about 800 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . . Genesee Wesleyan Seminary (Wikipedia). (Submitted on May 12, 2025, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York.)
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, May 11, 2025
2. Genesee Wesleyan Seminary and Genesee College Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 12, 2025, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York. This page has been viewed 343 times since then and 87 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 12, 2025, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York.
