Log College

The Log College was the first American Presbyterian theological seminary in North America, located in what is now Warminster, Pennsylvania. It was founded by William Tennent and his son Gilbert Tennent and operated from 1726 or 1727 until William Tennent's death in 1746. Founded at a time when there were few college educated ministers in North America, the Log College had no charter and was purely a private institution. It was a "remarkable institution organized at the Forks of the Neshaminy in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, by the Reverend William Tennent to which on its removal to land given him on the York Road near Hartsville in the same county, the name 'Log College' was scoffingly given."

The Log College was about 20 feet long and 20 feet wide. It was very plain according to George Whitefield's journal. In 1739 the Presbyterian Synod of Philadelphia, at that time the only Presbyterian Synod in North America, passed a rule prohibiting ministers from American colleges or seminaries, except for those from Harvard or Yale, in effect banning the Log College's graduates. This rule led to pressure to charter new colleges and eventually led to the formation of Princeton University.