The Heritage Collection is the Boston University School of Theology's oldest library collection, providing a direct physical connection to the School's founding institute through the books that its original faculty and students used.
The Boston University School of Theology was founded in 1839 as a project of the Boston Wesleyan Association. Beginning with the appointment of Rev. John Dempster in 1842, books were collected for the project, at first housed at the Newbury (VT) Biblical Institute under the directorship of Rev. Osman Baker, and later moved to Concord, N.H., with the incorporation of the Methodist General Biblical Institute in 1848. The Institute moved to Boston in 1868 to become the founding school of Boston University. Still preserved are several hundred books from the pre-Boston days in our Heritage Collection.
Check out our History of the School of Theology research guide to discover more information about the history of the School of Theology, from its founding in Vermont through the present day.
Click on the pages at left to explore some of the unique collections acquired by the School of Theology Library, beginning with the institution’s founding in 1839 to the present day. These collections include many rare and not-widely owned or accessible materials.
Special Collections are located in our closed-stack archival area and are in-library use only. Permission to access any item in the Special Collections may be obtained from library staff during regular hours.
For questions or access, please use our “Ask The Archivist” form .