Log College
Warminster Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Built by Rev. William Tennent c. 1735, it was the first academy in America for the training of Presbyterian ministers and the first college in Pa. A number of notable revivalist preachers and educators graduated from this rustic school before it closed upon Tennent's death in 1746. Soon after, several Log College graduates helped establish Princeton University in New Jersey. Many other colleges trace their roots to this early institution.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Around 1735, the Reverend William Tennent built a humble log schoolhouse here and began training Presbyterian ministers — the first academy of its kind in America and the first college in Pennsylvania. Detractors mocked the rustic building as a "Log College," but it became a seedbed of the religious revival known as the Great Awakening. When Tennent died in 1746 the school closed, but its graduates soon helped found what became Princeton University.
Why it matters
From this rough cabin sprang a tradition of higher education and religious revival that seeded colleges across the young nation, linking a backwoods school to some of America's most enduring universities.
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Related people
- · Rev. William Tennent
Related events
- · The Great Awakening
Themes & tags
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