The Washington Female Seminary was a Presbyterian seminary for women operating from 1836 to 1948 in

Washington, Pennsylvania Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania. A part of the Greater Pittsburgh area in the southwestern part of the state, the city is home to Washington & Jefferson College and Pony League baseball. The populat ...

. During the 19th century, it was "one of the best known and most noted institutions of its kind in the state".

History

The Washington Female Seminary was part of a larger

Female seminary A female seminary is a private educational institution for women, popular especially in the United States in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when opportunities in educational institutions for women were scarce. The movement was a sign ...

movement. Creation of this particular institution began in 1835 and the Seminary opened 1 year later in 1836. The two founders were abolitionist

Francis Julius LeMoyne Francis Julius LeMoyne (September 4, 1798 – October 14, 1879) was a 19th-century American medical doctor and philanthropist from Washington, Pennsylvania. Responsible for creating the first crematory in the United States, he was also an aboli ...

and Alexander Reed. It was formally chartered by the legislature in 1839. The first principal was Mrs. Francis Biddle of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, who left in 1840. Sarah B. Hanna (a student of

Emma Willard Emma Hart Willard (February 23, 1787 – April 15, 1870) was an American woman's education activist who dedicated her life to education. She worked in several schools and founded the first school for women's higher education, the Emma Willard S ...

) was Principal from 1840-1874. Miss Nancy Sherrard followed as Principal. By 1886, attendance hovered around 100 to 150 students. The curriculum included both a preparatory course, which generally gained admission to the finest women's colleges, and a regular course, with studies in music, art, and elocution. It was one of the few schools that taught the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

from a

literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

point of view.

Rebecca Harding Davis Rebecca Blaine Harding Davis (June 24, 1831 – September 29, 1910) was an American author and journalist. She was a pioneer of literary realism in American literature. She graduated valedictorian from Washington Female Seminary in Pennsylvania ...

, who graduated in 1848, is its most famous graduate. In April 2013, a

historical marker A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...

in Davis' honor was placed near Swanson Science Center, the site of the former McIlvaine Hall/Washington Female Seminary. The effort to place the marker there was led by

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries t ...

English professor, Dr. Jennifer Harding. John Leighton Stewart served as a trustee.Text on the John L. Stewart Tower at the former McIlvane Hall at

After the Seminary closed, its building was purchased by

and renamed McIlvaine Hall.

Gallery

File:Washington Female Seminary line drawing.jpg, Campus in 1886 File:Washington Female Seminary - Class of 1888.jpg, Class of 1888

References

External links

{{authority control Defunct private universities and colleges in Pennsylvania Educational institutions established in 1836 Educational institutions disestablished in 1948 Universities and colleges in Washington County, Pennsylvania Female seminaries in the United States 1836 establishments in Pennsylvania 1848 disestablishments in Pennsylvania

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links