Linden Hall (school)

Linden Hall is an independent boarding school and day for girls in grades 6-12 located in Lititz, Pennsylvania. The school was founded in 1746 and is the oldest girls' boarding and day school in continuous operation in the United States.[1][2][3][4]

Linden Hall
Location
212 East Main Street
Lititz, PA 17543

United States
Information
TypeIndependent boarding and day school
MottoNon scholae, sed vitae discimus
Opened1746
Head of schoolMichael E. Waylett (2015- )
Faculty37
Grades6–12
Enrollment225 (as of 2017–18)
Campus size49 acres
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s)Blue and White
MascotLions
NewspaperThe Linden Ledger
Websitelindenhall.org

History

The school traces its history to November 1746, when a Moravian congregation was established in Warwick, Pennsylvania, now known as Lititz.[5] The congregation's original building was a "Gemeinhaus," a log structure that could serve as a combined chapel, schoolhouse, and parsonage. The school educated both boys and girls. As of 1758, it reportedly enrolled "70 to 77 children."[6] Brethren's and Sisters' Houses were built by the Moravian congregation between 1758 and 1761 to separate the activities and education of the community's unmarried men and women.[7] The original Gemeinhaus building was taken down in 1766. For the next few years, girl's schooling occurred in the Sisters' House, while boys' schooling was closely associated with the Brethren's House. Church diaries from this period mention that girls from Moravian families in Lancaster (several miles from Lititz) were enrolling in the school and boarding with local families.[7][6] The local Moravian congregation was a country congregation whose members lived on scattered farms, so it is likely that some of their daughters boarded at the school or nearby due to its distance from their homes.[8] In May 1769 the cornerstone was laid for a new building for the girls' school, apparently to accommodate a growing student body. This building, now named Stengel Hall, is still standing as of 2020. The school's first recorded non-Moravian boarding student, Margaret "Peggy" Marvel of Baltimore, Maryland, was enrolled in 1794.[7][6]

The name of the school was changed from Lititz Seminary to Linden Hall in 1883. The new name referred to plantings of basswood (linden) trees on the campus.[6]

Linden Hall added a junior college, known as Linden Hall Junior College, in 1935. Its offerings included a secretarial program. The Junior College was discontinued in 1961.[6]

Linden Hall is now nonsectarian.[9] The school handbook states that the school's weekly chapel services are held in the Lititz Moravian Church and incorporate "readings, commentaries, and music that represent many of the major philosophies and religions," along with "the School's Moravian heritage."[10]

Program

Linden Hall's academic program is entirely aimed at college preparation.[11] Athletic offerings include an extensive equestrian program. Team sports include soccer, tennis, volleyball, riding, cross country, golf, basketball, archery and dance. A cooperative program with Warwick High School enables Linden Hall students to participate in field hockey, lacrosse, swimming, track and field, softball, and bowling teams.[12] Upper school students can participate in an aviation program through which they can earn a pilot's license.[9]

The Beck School for Boys, now defunct, also was related to the Moravian church schools established in Lititz in the 1700s.[8][13]

References
  1. "At a Glance". Linden Hall. Archived from the original on April 6, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  2. "Explore PA History.com". Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  3. "Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission". Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  4. "Venture Lititz". Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  5. Handler, Bonnie (1996). Linden Hall: Enduring Values, Changing Times. Library of Congress: Sutter House Publishers. p. 34.
  6. "Linden Hall History". Linden Hall. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  7. A century and three-quarters of life and service : Linden Hall Seminary, Lititz, Pennsylvania, 1746-1921. Lancaster, Pa.: The Conestoga Publishing Company. 1921.
  8. "Interesting Historical Facts about Linden Hall Seminary" (PDF). Linden Hall Echo. Lititz, Pennsylvania: Linden Hall. October 1909.. Note: Article content attributed to the Bethlehem (Pennsylvania) Times, 23 August 1909.
  9. "Linden Hall". Private School Review. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  10. "Linden Hall Parent/Student Handbook, 2019-20" (PDF). Linden Hall. Retrieved 19 January 2020. Pages 42 and 62
  11. "Course of Study". Linden Hall. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  12. "Athletics & Riding". Linden Hall. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  13. Haller, Mabel (1953). "Early Moravian Education in Pennsylvania". Transactions of the Moravian Historical Society. 15: i–409. JSTOR 41179327.

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