BANGOR THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY (Congregational). Originated with the Society for Theological Education, which was estab lished in Portland in 1811 and chartered in 1812. The seminary was chartered by the legis lature of Massachusetts, of which Maine was then a province, 25 Feb. 1814; opened at Hampden in 1816; removed to Bangor in 1819, and graduated its first class 2 Aug. 1820. It was founded to provide an educated ministry for northern New England, then frontier country and being rapidly settled. It was first formed on the plan of the English Dissenters' schools with two years' classical and two years' theological instruction. In 1827 it was reorgan ized on the American plan of a three years' theological course. It is governed by an inde pendent board of trustees, having only a friendly though close relationship with the Congregational churches. It has a faculty of five and a librarian, besides a varying number of lecturers. It has real estate valued at $100,
000, about $300,000 worth of productive endow ment, including about $60,000 of scholarship funds, and $10,000 as fund for the board lec tureship, the latter providing two courses of lectures on scientific and cultural subjects each year. An annual event of wide influence is 'Convocation Week," consisting of four courses of five lectures by the foremost men of affairs, and free to the public. The seminary is open to students of any denomination and is largely patronized by other than Congregationalists. In the first 100 years of its history, just dos ing, it has graduated 935 men, educated for a year or more 320 others, furnished a very large proportion of the Congregational ministers now or in the past active in Maine, sent scores of ministers to the churches outside Maine and many missionaries to all quarters of the globe.