This week in Christian history: Mount Holyoke Female Seminary founded; Amy Carmichael arrives in India
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary founded – Nov. 8, 1837
This week marks the anniversary of when Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, one of the first colleges for women in the United States, was founded in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
Now known as Mount Holyoke College, the seminary began with 80 students and was founded and led by Mary Lyon, an educator who formerly taught at Ipswich Seminary.
“Her ideal was to educate the entire woman, each student having her share of academics, domestic chores, and spiritual enrichment through Bible study, prayer, and worship,” explained Boston University’s School of Theology.
“Her philosophy was ‘study and teach nothing that cannot be made to help in the great work of converting the world to Christ.’ In A Missionary Offering (1843), her only published work, she stressed the importance of supporting missions.”
In 1861, Mount Holyoke became a four-year academic institution. Having become an official college in 1888, the school eventually removed “seminary” from its name in 1893.
