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
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 in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Man-Made Features
this page online
Location. 39° 42.925′ N, 83° 53.114′ W. Marker is in Wilberforce, Ohio, in Greene County. It 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.
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Dayton Metro and in the Miami Valley. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
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. Ό mile away); Central State University (approx. Ό 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 . . .
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., July 21, 2009
2. Payne Theological Seminary and Marker
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., July 21, 2009
3. Payne Theological Seminary Campus
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., July 21, 2009
4. Payne Theological Seminary Mitchell Hall Cornerstone
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 Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,379 times since then and 81 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on February 22, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
