Philadelphia Divinity School. Records

AO-00-R0354-01

The Archives of the Episcopal Church

Fonds

Philadelphia Divinity School. Records

• 1862-1974 (Creation)

24.4 cu.ft. (28 boxes)

The Philadelphia Divinity School (PDS) was founded in 1857 through the efforts of Bishop Alonzo Potter and the Rev. George Emlen Hare. Rooted in earlier efforts by Bishop William White to establish theological education in Philadelphia, PDS emerged in response to both regional ecclesiastical needs and the cultural divisions of the Civil War era. The school was governed by a dual board system of lay trustees and clerical overseers, later consolidated in 1944. PDS emphasized liberal and innovative pedagogy, including early admissions of African-American and women students, and pioneered clinical training for ministry in the 1940s. Persistent financial challenges and denominational restructuring in the 1970s led to PDS’ merger with the Episcopal Theological School (ETS) in 1974 to form the Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) in Cambridge, MA. PDS’ legacy of theological liberalism culminated in its faculty and leadership’s support for the ordination of women, including their participation in the 1974 ordination of the Philadelphia 11.

The Philadelphia Divinity School (PDS) archive comprises minutes, reports and memoranda, correspondence, financial records, publications, photographs and slides, microfilm, and some artifacts that describe the corporate history of the seminary from its founding in 1857 to its merger with the Episcopal Theological School (ETS) in 1974 to form the Episcopal Divinity School (EDS).

Trustee’s Records, 1862-1974
Administrative Records, 1864-1974
Financial Records, 1862-1973
Deans’ Records, 1857-1971
Faculty Records, 1862-1974
Library Records, 1874-1974
St. Andrew’s Collegiate Chapel Records, 1783-1974
William Bacon Stevens Missionary Society, 1887-1960
Bohlen Lectures by Joseph Cullen Ayer, 1918
Reverend George C. Foley Papers, 1876-1929
Benjamin Watson Diary, 1863-1864
Collected Historical Materials, 1862-1973
Alumni Records, 1867-1973
Visual Materials and Artifacts, 1857-1974

Access to Episcopal Church records is governed by the Archives Public Access Policy. Research requests must be submitted in writing.

The Archives is able to respond to limited requests for reproductions subject to copyright restrictions, internal policy, and the condition of the source documents.

• English

Episcopal Theological School. Records
Episcopal Divinity School. Records

• Diocese of Pennsylvania
• Episcopal Divinity School
• Episcopal Theological School
• Seminaries
• Theological education

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Ayer, Joseph Cullen (Subject)
• Bartlett, George Griffiths (Subject)
• Evans, Allen, Jr. (Subject)
• Foley, George Cadwalader (Subject)
• Hare, George Emlen (Subject)
• Harris, Edward George (Subject)
• Potter, Alonzo (Subject)
• Watson, Benjamin (Subject)