Wilberforce in Greene County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Payne Theological Seminary

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 21, 2009

1. Payne Theological Seminary Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Payne Theological Seminary was originally established as Union Seminary in West Jefferson, Ohio, by the Ohio Conference of the African Methodist Church (AME) on October 18, 1844. The Cincinnati Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church North met to establish a school for people of African descent, and in 1856, purchased Tawawa Springs, a defunct health resort, to open Wilberforce University, named for the early nineteenth century British abolitionist, William Wilberforce. In 1862 the institution closed due to low enrollment and dwindling funds. AME Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne purchased the school for $10,000, and the school was reopened in 1863 by closing the Union Seminary and merging the assets. In 1895, the department of theology separated from Wilberforce University and became Payne Theological Seminary, named in honor of Bishop Payne. Payne is the oldest, free standing African American Seminary in the United States.

Erected 2007 by Payne Theological Seminary, Friends For Payne, The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 23-29.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed

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in these topic lists: African Americans • Churches & Religion • Education • Man-Made Features. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1880.

Location. 39° 42.925′ N, 83° 53.114′ W. Marker is in Wilberforce, Ohio, in Greene County. Marker is on Wilberforce-Clifton Road (County Route 94) near Coleman Drive, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1230 Wilberforce-Clifton Road, Wilberforce OH 45384, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Old Wilberforce University Campus at Tawawa Springs (approx. 0.2 miles away); Kezia Emery Hall (1913) (approx. 0.2 miles away); Carnegie Library (1907) (approx. 0.2 miles away); Martin Robison Delany (approx. ¼ mile away); Central State University

Payne Theological Seminary and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 21, 2009

2. Payne Theological Seminary and Marker

(approx. ¼ mile away); Brigadier General Benjamin Oliver Davis, Sr. (approx. 0.3 miles away); Galloway Hall (approx. 0.4 miles away); Paul Robeson (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilberforce.

Also see . . . Payne Theological Seminary. Seminary website homepage (Submitted on February 22, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)

Payne Theological Seminary Campus image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 21, 2009

3. Payne Theological Seminary Campus

Payne Theological Seminary Mitchell Hall Cornerstone image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 21, 2009

4. Payne Theological Seminary Mitchell Hall Cornerstone

Payne Theological Seminary Mitchell Hall image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 21, 2009

5. Payne Theological Seminary Mitchell Hall

Credits. This page was last revised on July 3, 2022. It was originally submitted on February 22, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 825 times since then and 67 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on February 22, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.