Collection on McCormick Theological Seminary

The McCormick Theological Seminary Collection is primarily a product of the research and work completed by Elizabeth Ware, a 1998 graduate of DePaul's Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program. Ware purchased one of the 1880s row houses sold by McCormick Seminary in 1975 and was inspired to research her home and neighborhood as part of her graduate program. In 1998 Ware prepared an exhibition titled "Within the Wrought Iron Fence: The Hidden Heritage of McCormick Theological Seminary." Materials from the Lincoln Park Collection and DePaul University Archives were added to Ware's original donation. McCormick Theological Seminary was founded in Hanover, Indiana in 1829 as the Indiana Theological Seminary. Lured to Chicago in 1859 by Cyrus H. McCormick's substantial gift of $100,000, the seminary relocated and changed its name to the Presbyterian Seminary of the Northwest. The seminary started building on a plot of land on the south side of Fullerton Avenue which was donated by Joseph Sheffield and William Ogden in 1863. In 1886 the seminary was renamed to honor the McCormick family who continued to financially support the institution's building program through the 1920s. The institution experienced another name change in 1928 due to a request made by the McCormick family. For fifteen years the institution was known as the Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Chicago until the McCormick family gave permission to change the name back to McCormick Theological Seminary in 1943. In 1957 the Seminary embarked on a new building plan for the campus which called for the demolition of many of the Victorian era buildings. The Seminary made the decision to move from its Lincoln Park location and put the property up for sale in 1974. Although it wanted to sell the property in one parcel, McCormick Theological Seminary agreed to sell the row houses on Belden, Fullerton, and Chalmers Place to the Seminary Townhouse Association (STA) in 1975. DePaul University purchased the east and west ends of the Seminary campus in 1976 and 1977.