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Moravian College • Preservation Master Plan
Figure 2-25. Engraving view of Pleasure Grounds, looking
north, 1856 (Moravian Souvenir 1856).
Figure 2-26. Engraving view of Pleasure Grounds from bridge,
1856 (Moravian Souvenir 1856).
Figure 2-27. Detail of a stereoscope view of Pleasure Grounds,
late nineteenth century (New York Public Library).
Figure 2-28. Detail of a stereoscopic view of Seminary girls in
the Pleasure Grounds, ca. 1870s (New York Public Library).
Growth continued and in 1859, a new classroom
building, West Hall (figure 2-29), was constructed
on the west end of the Single Brethren’s House,
connecting to the Old Chapel. West Hall contained
classrooms, an infirmary, and a “swimming bath”
(Moravian College 2007:6). At the beginning of
the Civil War, the school had 260 students. After a
sharp decline during the war, enrollment jumped
to over 300, necessitating more construction. Two
more connected buildings expanded the campus
to the south (figure 2-30): New Chapel/Peter Hall
(1867) and South Hall, a dormitory (1873). In 1890,
a detached Classical Revival Gymnasium (figures
2-31 and 2-32) was constructed west of South Hall.
The Gymnasium, now known as the Payne Gallery,
remained a detached building until 1982, when Foy
Hall was constructed. The Gymnasium was the
school’s first dedicated modern athletic facility for
the student body, and an early example of such in
an era where there was an increasing emphasis on
the benefits of physical education and team sports
as a complement to education (Moravian College
2007:6,14-17; Weinlick 1977:90).
The Female Seminary initially educated primary
and secondary school pupils of eight to sixteen
years, and the age of its students extended to 19 by
the 1850s. The popularity of secondary education
increased as the century went on. The school was
formally chartered for the first time in 1863 under
the name Moravian Seminary for Young Ladies, and
the first diplomas were granted to the class of 1876.
By the 1890s, a college course had become part of
the academic offerings, and the school was divided
into the Seminary (i.e. high school) Department
and the College Department. The first bachelor’s
degree was awarded in 1896, but remained the only
one until several more years had passed. In 1893,
Dr. J. Max Hark became principal. The same year,
the school began to move toward autonomy when
the church Synod approved the creation of the first
Board of Trustees “separate and distinct from the
Provincial Elders’ Conference.” Five years later, the
school was moving towards becoming a full college,
and alumnae associations began to form in 1899 to
raise funds to establish an endowment (Bethlehem
Book Committee 1976:266; Weinlick 1977:91).
The turn of the century brought some changes to
the school. In 1910, the wooden fence protecting
the Pleasure Grounds was removed, opening the
campus to the town for the first time. Tennis courts
and playing fields were constructed downhill from
the gardens. In 1911, the Weingartner School of
John Milner Associates • October 2009 • Chapter 2 • Historic Overview • 21