furman history

8/6/2019 Furman History

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Baptist State Convention of South Carolinaincorporated a seminary in December 1825 atEdgefield, South Carolina

Furman Academy and Theological Institution


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Named for RichardFurman of Charleston, SC,who had died August

1825Prominent minister andpresident of the firstBaptist convention in

America, had laid thegroundwork for theestablishment of thecollege.


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Established at Edgefield inhopes that Georgia Baptistswould participate andfinancially support them

Classes first held January 1827

Accepted any male studentregardless of denomination

Principal required to be a

minister


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December 1828 in trouble

Georgia Baptists didnt financiallysupport them

Had trouble raising money fromSC Baptists

Had problems finding and

retaining a principal

Had to close the Academy


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Theology Institutionmoved to High Hills of

Santee, nearStateburg in 1829

Continued to havefinancial problems

1835 both professorsresigned


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Decided that theschool would bemoved to the country

and it was reopened in1837 in Winnsboro(Fairfield District)

Became a manual

labor classical andEnglish school underthe name FurmanInstitution.


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The idea for a manual labor school came from the manual labormovement that was popular between 1830 and 1845. It wasthought that it was a good way for students to get exercise andwould provide poor students a way to pay for college.

Students expected to work 2 hours a day in the fields, Mondaythrough Friday, and half as long on Saturday.

Students wore a gray uniform.

The Faculty was expected to set a good example by working inthe fields with the students.


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School building that also served as a residence for the principaland boarding students burned down, problems with studentsdrinking.

1838 - theological department was started again

1839 - theological department became the TheologicalSeminary and the academic department became the English andClassical School.

Because of continuing financial problems, the Classical Schoolwas closed in 1840.


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With establishment of the Southern BaptistConvention in 1845, there was interest inestablishing a central seminary in the South and

Furman was chosen.


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1850 chartered as The Furman University

1851 moved to Greenville

Had 3 distinct departments; Academic,Collegiate, Theological


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Academic taught:Orthography (spelling) and Rhetorical Reading

Geography and History

Penmanship

English Grammar and Composition

Arithmetic and Book-Keeping

Algebra and Geometry

Latin and Greek

Collegiate had six schools:School of Ancient Languages

School of Mathematics and Mechanical Philosophy

School ofNatural Philosophy and Descriptive Astronomy

School of Chemistry and Natural History

School of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy and HistorySchool of Logic, Rhetoric and Evidences of Christianity

Theological Department required a Bachelor of Arts


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The first building waswhat is now known asOld College.

Built in 1851 and useduntil the main buildingwas finished.

Dr. James Furman used

the South end andProfessor Judson usedthe North end.


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The theological school branched off in 1858 as

the Southern Baptist Seminary, remained inGreenville only a half-mile from Furman.

It took from Furman the professor of theology,James P. Boyce, all of Furmans endowmentfund ($26,000) raised for theological education,and Furmans theological library.

1877 moved to Louisville, Kentucky.


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Closed in 1861

Faculty reopen the institution in February 1866 with140 students.

The number declined, and the college closed in 1868.

Classes resumed in February 1869, and an endowmentfund of two hundred thousand dollars was pledged to

allow students free tuition.

But by 1879 many of the bondholders defaulted ontheir payments, and most of the faculty resigned.

furman history

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