Established by the S. C. Baptist Convention in 1825, Furman opened in Edgefield in 1826. Later sites were at High Hills from 1829 to 1834, Winnsboro from 1837 to 1850, and Greenville in 1851, where it is now Furman University. In 1859 the theological department became the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which moved to Louisville, Ky. in 1877. The Rev. Jesse Hartwell directed the school at High Hills, which took its name from Dr. Richard Furman, a noted patriot, theologian, and educator who lived from 1755 to 1825. A native of New York state, Furman moved to High Hills with his parents in 1770.