Cedarville University

Each year, during the month of January, Cedarville University celebrates Charter Day, a day to commemorate its founding on January 26, 1887. The five founders of then Cedarville College comprised a committee formed by the Reformed Presbyterian Synod to find a place to establish a Christian college for their young people and to obtain a charter from the state of Ohio to officially sanction and establish that college. Rehearsing the history of the university, two significant years brought times of crises, the first the year 1890, when the dream of the college almost died, and the second the year 1953, when the college itself almost died. Using important documents and depictions from the University Archives, this exhibit reviews that first crisis with a journey starting in 1887 when the founders obtained the charter to establish Cedarville College, to 1891 when a benefactor provided funds at a time when failure was imminent, to 1894 when the first classes were launched, and to 1897 when five graduates participated in the first commencement. Since that first graduation celebration, there has been a commencement at Cedarville every year, this year being the 126th, demonstrating God’s faithfulness to that early dream of the founders.

With the coming of the Protestant Reformation, the 15th and 16th centuries were religiously tumultuous in England and Europe with some of the struggle focusing on whether it was appropriate or not for the Scriptures to be made available in the common language for all to read. This conflict was most evident in England where in significant periods of the 16th century under the Roman Catholic Church, it was illegal to translate the Scriptures into the English language from Latin. There were times when it was illegal to read those illegal translations in public–or to own one. There were times when people were martyred for doing both. This exhibit of early printed English Bibles is intended to tell that story and recognize those who gave up comfort, safety, living in their own country, and in some cases their lives, to make sure that everyone would have the privilege of reading the Bible in their own language.

These images are from an exhibit in 2013.

Each year, during the month of January, Cedarville University celebrates Charter Day, a day to commemorate its founding on January 26, 1887. The five founders of then Cedarville College comprised a committee formed by the Reformed Presbyterian Synod to find a place to establish a Christian college for their young people and to obtain a charter from the state of Ohio to officially sanction and establish that college. Rehearsing the history of the university, two significant years brought times of crises, the first the year 1890, when the dream of the college almost died, and the second the year 1953, when the college itself almost died. Using important documents and depictions from the University Archives, this exhibit reviews that first crisis with a journey starting in 1887 when the founders obtained the charter to establish Cedarville College, to 1891 when a benefactor provided funds at a time when failure was imminent, to 1894 when the first classes were launched, and to 1897 when five graduates participated in the first commencement. Since that first graduation celebration, there has been a commencement at Cedarville every year, this year being the 126th, demonstrating God’s faithfulness to that early dream of the founders.