Founded in 1876 as the Bishop Cummins Training School, Cummins Memorial Theological Seminary moved to Summerville in 1912 and to its current South Main Street campus in 1979. The seminary is the oldest and only African American Episcopal seminary in existence. Its campus includes historic buildings such as the Main Administration Building and Pengelley’s Chapel.

Learn More

• The land was historically known as “Red Hill.” During the Civil War, the hilltop served as a Confederate encampment hospital, and its barracks were later occupied by the 35th United States Colored Troops during their occupation of Summerville from 1865 to 1866.
• The school was established in 1876 by Reverend Peter Fayssoux Stevens as the Bishop Cummins Training School. For its first several decades, it operated as a “Seminary without Walls,” moving wherever Stevens resided.
• The seminary moved to Summerville in 1912 and occupied several locations before relocating to its current 3.5-acre campus at 705 South Main Street in 1979.
• The Main Administration Building was once a private residence known as the Milton P. Skinner House and Stables, dating to approximately 1910. The building retains features including high ceilings, architectural details and original heart pine floors.
• Pengelley’s Chapel in the back of the property was originally built in the 1880s as the St. Barnabas’ Mission School Chapel, which provided elementary education for the Lowcountry Native American community. The chapel was moved to its current location in 1981 and retains nearly all of its original features.
• The "711 House" next door housed the first reading program for dyslexic children in Dorchester County and is currently undergoing renovations.
• The buildings are private property and are not open for interior tours. Visitors are invited to view the grounds from their cars as part of the self-guided history experience.

Learn more about the history of the Cummins Theological Seminary grounds in a blog post linked here.