Chapter 1- Pleasant Hill Seminary and Jane Campbell McKeever

 

The campus of Pleasant Hill Seminary was less than a decade old when Mary Anna Purvis arrived in the fall of 1849. The principle, Jane Campbell McKeever, was a brilliant leader in female education of the era, basing her seminary on the same courses and ideals offered by her brother, Alexander Campbell, at nearby Bethany College.

An excellent article on Jane and Matthew McKeever (along with their portraits) can be found on this website:

History of the Restoration Movement; Pleasant Hill Seminary and Jane and Matthew McKeever

But it was while researching in the Bethany College archives that I came across an insiders view of life at Pleasant Hill. Decima Campbell, the youngest daughter of Alexander Campbell, kept a journal of her school days at Pleasant Hill Seminary.

Her comments, complaints, and antics made for an amusing and enlightening read and while her outgoing, bold personality was very different from that of Mary Anna, her writings about events and daily life at school strongly influenced the portrayal of the school in the novel.

Decima Campbell on her honeymoon with J.J. Barclay