Constitution and records, 1836-1846

The Theological Society of Bowdoin College began under the administration of President Appleton. Little is known about the society prior to 1836 because its records were destroyed in the 1836 Maine Hall fire. The preamble of the society's 1836 constitution states the society was interested in the "inquiry 'what is truth';" the group was centered around the study and debate of religious matters. Its meetings were indefinitely suspended in 1850 after suffering a considerable lack of student interest and falling into debt. The records contain acceptance notes, librarian's books, treasurer's reports, and other records.