Date: October 26, 2021
As we reflected on possible projects to mark this Bicentennial, various ideas were put on the table. And one that generated considerable interest was a new edition of Helen Reid’s Search for the Invisible. Helen Reid (the wife of Richard Reid, who was the Dean) produced two editions of a book dedicated to the “houses of the Seminary.” She documented the families – the spouses and the children of those who lived on the campus, those people who are often invisible.
When Lesley Markham was approached to write a new edition of this book, she asked her sister, Elaine Croft, a passionate historian, to take on the task. And this was a significant task. This is the first time that the presence of African Americans who lived on the campus – some under slavery, others under Jim Crow – would be recognized. With the passing of time, there were more people to interview, more stories to collect, and more issues to explore. The result is a beautiful, compelling book, a social history rich in anecdotes, that tells the full story of the residences on the campus. The selection of pictures for the book is extraordinary. It is both a riveting read and attractively designed. It is a book worthy of the historic moment of our Bicentennial.
You can find the book on Amazon. Please allow me to express my gratitude to Elaine for all her work. I am also grateful to our archivist, Chris Pote, and to the director of communications, Curtis Prather. All books are collaborative projects, and this lovely book is no exception.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President