Crozer Theological Seminary – Upland, PA
Protecting a Landmark of Civil War & Civil Rights History
Photo by Robert Keller
We, the Undersigned
Respectfully petition for the preservation, restoration, and protection of Old Main, located at Crozer Theological Seminary in Upland, PA. Constructed in 1857 by John Price Crozer, Old Main has served multiple historic roles:
A teachers' training college
A Civil War hospital housing Union & Confederate soldiers after Gettysburg
Where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received his divinity degree
Physical evidence of its Civil War–era use remains intact, including structural modifications made to doors for distributing food to wounded soldiers, and preserved inscriptions of Union and Confederate soldiers within the cupola.
From 1948 to 1951, Martin Luther King Jr. lived and studied at Crozer during a critical period of his intellectual and spiritual development.
First African American elected president of the student body
Received the J. Lewis Crozer Fellowship
Awarded the Pearl Ruth Plafker Memorial Award
The graduating class of 1951 was a historic milestone in diversity — majority African American and Asian graduates, including international students from Egypt, Japan, and China.
Old Main stands as a physical witness to this transformative era in American history.
Old Main is more than a historic building — it is where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. studied at Crozer Theological Seminary. This building represents a critical chapter in the development of Dr. King's ideas about justice, equality, and nonviolence. Preserving Old Main means preserving a piece of history that helped shape the Civil Rights Movement.
By supporting this effort, you help ensure this landmark can one day serve as a center for education, reflection, and social justice in the spirit of Dr. King's legacy.
Your voice matters. By signing this petition, you help demonstrate that our community and supporters across the country believe Old Main deserves to be preserved. Together, we can secure a future for this historic site.
Old Main was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and received a Pennsylvania Historical marker in 1992.
Recognition alone does not ensure preservation.
Without restoration efforts, this nationally significant structure risks deterioration and loss of irreplaceable history.
We respectfully call upon:
To allocate funding and lend collaborative support for the stabilization, restoration, and adaptive reuse of Old Main.
This petition affirms public support for the preservation of Old Main as:
A Civil War historical landmark
A site of theological & academic progress
A formative institution in Dr. King's life
A cultural and educational asset for Chester
Preserving Old Main ensures future generations may learn from, visit, and experience this historic site.
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
— The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
