VTS HISTORY: Two Centuries of Revelation, Repentance, & Reconciliation

The Founding of the Seminary

The oldest known picture of Aspinwall

St. Paul's, Alexandria in the mid-19th century

Minutes from the first meeting of the Education Society

Guiding an institution over the sea of time requires discernment and occasional redirection. Virginia Theological Seminary set course in 1818 as the Society for the Education of Pious Young Men for the Ministry emerged. The mission of the society was to form a school that would train committed disciples with a passion for the Gospel and sharing the faith.

The Education Society, comprising notable local Episcopal figures like the Rev. William Wilmer, the Rt. Rev. William Meade, the Rt. Rev. Richard Channing Moore, and Francis Scott Key, funded and established a seminary in Fairfax County, Virginia. By 1823, the inaugural fourteen students commenced classes, taught by the Rev. William Wilmer at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Alexandria.

The seminary's growth saw its relocation to rented quarters on King and Washington streets under the guidance of the professor, the Rev. Reuel Keith. With the generous support of the Education Society, Professors Keith and Edward Lippitt orchestrated a move to a new campus in 1827.

The. Rt. Rev. William Meade

Francis Scott Key

The Rev. William Wilmer

The Holy Hill

This acquisition of sixty-two acres offered respite from urban distractions, marking the roots of the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia. For the 196 years that followed, the "Holy Hill" served to prepare seminarians to care for the people of God.

The original education building at the new campus.

The Oakwood House was already on campus when the seminary moved to its permanent campus

Flawed Humanity & A Redemptive God

People of African descent, both free and forced, undertook vital roles on campus, from service jobs to artisan work.

The board minutes from 1860 records where the board of trustees approved 510 dollar to be spent to build a "servant's quarters." In a letter to his family, alumni Phillips Brooks said of VTS, "all the servants are slaves."

Founded amidst a sinful system of oppression, certain seminary founders, faculty, and benefactors participated in the subjugation of Black individuals. This somber reality reached across the Episcopal Church.

Professor James May was a vocal opponent to slavery, and housed and taught three Liberian students in his home in the early 1850s.

VTS produced both slave holders and abolitionists. Students were allowed to bring slaves with them to campus. However, some used their pulpit to argue for freedom, even while being threatened by congregations.

1859 graduate, the Rt. Rev. Phillips Brooks preached, "We rejoice in emancipation because it is right. We hate slavery because it is wrong."

The Civil War disrupted seminary operations. Under U.S. military control, the campus became a Union field hospital. The Seminary returned to a depleted faculty, ravaged grounds, and financial challenges as it gradually restored classes against the backdrop of reconstruction. However, "release to the captive" had been given, though they still faced the realities of racism and segregation.

African Americans Trained for Ministry

BPDS Campus Buildings

Whittle Hall

Russell Hall

Refectory/Dormatory

Emmanuel Chapel

For African American ministerial aspirants, Bishop Payne Divinity School stood as a beacon of hope against the Jim Crow south. Founded in 1878 as the St. Stephen's Normal and Industrial School, it emerged in response to segregation faced by Archdeacon James Solomon Russell and others who were excluded from VTS due to the segregation laws of Virginia. From its humble beginnings on Perry Street, Petersburg, it evolved into an institution dedicated to theological and academic excellence.

The Rt. Rev. Francis Whittle, Founding Bishop

Archdeacon James Solomon Russell, First Divinity Graduate

The Legacy

Renamed in honor of VTS graduate John Payne, the first Episcopal bishop of Liberia, the school moved to South West Street in 1889. Over the years its mission grew, granting Bachelor of Divinity degrees and nurturing numerous leaders for the ministry, such as the Rev. George Freeman Bragg. Bishop Payne Divinity School persevered until its last graduating class in 1949. The transfer of its legacy to VTS marked a turning point, reflecting progress in the struggle for equality. VTS was integrated three years before Brown v Board of Education.

The Class of 1949, the final graduation

The Alumni

The faculty in the 1890s with

the Rev. John W. Johnson, the first Black faculty member at the Black seminary.

Diploma of the Rev. John C. Davis

Today, the Bishop Payne Library stands as a testament to the legacy of Bishop Payne Divinity School and its vital role in advancing African American theological education.

Worship On the Hill

Making Waves and Breaking Ground

Virginia Theological Seminary's alumni have left an indelible mark on the world. People like the first missionaries from VTS, Dr. John Henry Hill and his wife Frances. They are celebrated as founders of the Greek school system, and exemplified the power of public education.

Alumni also transformed the policies and theology of the seminary. The Rt. Rev. John Thomas Walker, who integrated the seminary, stands as a testament to breaking racial barriers on the Holy Hill. Walker went on to become Suffragan Bishop, Bishop Coadjutor, and eventual Diocesan Bishop, as well as Dean of National Cathedral.

The achievements of Marian Smallegan and Phyllis Ingram in pursuing divinity degrees paved the way for women's inclusion and leadership. As a transfer student in 1958, Smallegan became the first woman to graduate from VTS. Phyllis Ingram was the first woman to complete all of her divinity degree work at VTS (cum laude) in 1966. She was ordained in the Congregationalist Church the following year.

VTS alumni embody a legacy of courage and compassion, shaping a more inclusive and just world through their ministries.

The bold actions of eleven women that presented themselves for ordination in 1973, including Allison Cheek and Nancy Hatch Wittig, and the ordination of four more women, including Betty Powell (VTS 1972) in Washington, DC on in 1975, heralded a transformative move of the Holy Spirit in the Episcopal Church.

The legacy of Pauli Murray's journey from race and gender civil rights lawyer to the first Black woman ordained in the Episcopal Church continues to inspire and guide future generations of seminarians.

Building Community

Student Newspapers

The Seminarian from the 1870s, handwritten on notebook paper.

The Ambo from 1967.

Amidst the daily rhythm of "class, chapel, and lunch," students forge a community of service and formation.

The students have been pivotal in shaping campus life. Originating in the early 20th century, the student council evolved to include student leadership like the Worship Committee, Student Aid Committee, and the Missionary Society, fostering meaningful dialogue that resulted in the fully chartered Student Body Government.

Student Body Government Gavel

Diverse student organizations enrich the community. The Seminarians of Color Union champions diversity, addressing issues of race and culture. PRISM, emerging in the 1990s, provides a haven for LGBTQIA+ members. SPIRIT serves spouses and families, offering events and assistance, while Cultivate VTS integrates ecological stewardship and promotes creation care.

Events like the Labor Day Picnic, Variety Shows, and Advent Affair (Seminary Prom), forge friendships and provide respite, while team sports, dating back to the 1880s, continue today with the Fighting Friars football team and intramural sports.

VTS' student life allows spiritual growth to flourish in an environment dedicated to diversity, leadership, and ministry.

Embroidered Sermon Case by

Robert U. Brooking while a student.

The Fighting Friars

Past and Present

Seminarians of Color Union in 2022

Scenes of Student Life

A Century of Transformation

The seminary's second century witnessed evolution in policies and culture, fostering equity across race, gender, and sexuality.

Professor Marion Kelleran

1933, Lillian Pierce Rudd became the first female instructor, heralding a new era of gender inclusion. Marion Kelleran's ascent from part-time lecturer to full-time faculty exemplified dedication to gender equality, catalyzing women's enrollment at VTS in 1963.

Women Seminarians in the

new M.A. in

Christian Education

from the late 19060s.

The 1970's VTS Civil Rights Act marked crucial strides in addressing racial disparities. The Rev. Dr. Lloyd Alexander Lewis, Jr.'s arrival in 1972 as the first full-time African American faculty member continued this effort.

Conference on Racism, VTS,

March 10, 1970

The Rev. Lloyd Alexander “Tony” Lewis, Ph.D.

when he joined the faculty

and his portrait that hangs in the refectory.

Alumnae and thirteen Dean of VTS

The appointment of The Very Rev. Martha Horne as the first female Dean in 1994 precipitated groundbreaking change. The 1997 policy "A Call to a Holy Life" dismantled LGBTQIA admission discrimination, and hiring The Rev. Dr. Ruthanna Hooke, VTS' first openly gay faculty member, prompted dialogues on theology and inclusion.

The Rev. Ruthanna Hooke, Ph.D.

Dean Ian Markham's 2007 formal apology for the Seminary's complicity in slavery and the publication of the Rev. Joseph Constant's book "No Turning Back" underscored a commitment to acknowledge and rectify historical wrongs.