Our History
Education for All
Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» was founded on a belief that education is essential for all, without regard for gender or social standing. It was an idea ahead of its time, but that didn’t stop us. In fact, Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» thrives on new and innovative ideas and has been embracing them ever since.
"Not the children of the rich or of the powerful only, but of all alike, boys and girls, both noble and ignoble, rich and poor, in all cities and towns, villages and hamlets, should be sent to school." –John Amos Comenius
A Brief History
The history of Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» is anything but brief—we're the 6th oldest college in America, after all—but we'll stick to the highlights for now. Our history doesn’t follow a singular, linear path. Though our story does start with a singular idea and moment. It follows two schools and two winding paths that eventually meet and merge.
Girls’ School
- 1742: Established in Germantown, Pennsylvania, by Benigna von Zinzendorf; moves to Bethlehem seven weeks later
- 1745: Moves to Nazareth
- 1749: Moves to Bethlehem (now known as South Campus)
- 1785: Opens to pupils outside the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» Church and becomes known as Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» Female Seminary
Boys’ School
- 1742: Opened in Bethlehem by Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» Church
- 1743: Second boys’ school opened in Nazareth by Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» Church
- 1759: Two schools merge to form Nazareth Hall, with survives until 1929
- 1807: Men’s college and seminary established as extension of Nazareth Hall and called Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» College and Theological Seminary
- 1858: Moves to Bethlehem
Together
- 1863: Both college and seminary chartered by state of Pennsylvania to grant baccalaureate degrees
- 1954: Women’s and men’s institutions merge to form first coeducational institution of higher education in the Lehigh Valley
- 2016: Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» College reorganizes into three schools: School of Natural and Health Sciences; School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; and Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» Seminary
- 2021: Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» College becomes Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»
UNESCO World Heritage
Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» Church Settlements—Bethlehem became the 26th World Heritage site in the United States on July 26, 2024. Along with Gracehill, Northern Ireland, and Herrnhut, Germany, Bethlehem joins Christiansfeld, Denmark as a single World Heritage site that represents the outstanding universal value of these historic settlements and the worldwide influence of the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» Church. As a new inscribed property on the World Heritage list, Bethlehem joins other properties such as the Taj Mahal, Grand Canyon National Park, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Statue of Liberty.
We're Carrying on the Tradition
You can’t have a history spanning nearly 280 years without establishing a few traditions along the way. And we take ours seriously.
The Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» Book Shop
The Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» Book Shop is also the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» student bookstore and is located in the heart of Historic Downtown Bethlehem. Founded in 1745, the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» Book Shop is the oldest bookstore in America and the oldest continuously operating bookstore in the world.
The Blue and Grey
Did you know the colors blue and grey were adopted by Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» in 1894? With the bitter battles of the American Civil War still a recent memory, the choice of colors represented a gesture of unity and healing.
The Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» Mile
The distance between North and South campuses, about 0.8 miles, is known as the “Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» Mile.” As part of orientation, first-year students traditionally , traveling from North to South, through Historic Bethlehem on their way. Once their time at Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» is complete, graduating seniors take part in the “Backwards Walk,” walking the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» Mile as they did in their freshman year, but this time in reverse. Don’t worry—you can always take the shuttle!
Heritage Day
Established by President Grigsby, Heritage Day is a celebration of Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» tradition, community, and service. Each year, we dedicate a fall day to learning about the founders of Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» and our cultural heritage, as well as serving our community.
Vespers
A local holiday tradition hosted by Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół», Christmas Vespers is a beautiful service that features two forms of Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» worship, the "Singstunde" and the Candlelight Service. Music by our students combines with the beauty of the Liturgy in this service of worship for the College community and friends.
Founder’s Day
We observe Founder’s Day each year to remember and learn from the revolutionary men and women who came before us at Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół». The day includes a reception, Lovefeast, and luncheon, and features stories and artifacts from our past.