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Our American Stories

How a Log Cabin Helped Spark the Great Awakening in Early America

Our American Stories

iHeartPodcasts

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.6816 Ratings

🗓️ 28 May 2026

⏱️ 8 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the early 1700s, a small log cabin in Pennsylvania became the center of a growing religious movement in the American colonies. Built by Presbyterian minister William Tennent, a devoted pastor and educator, the humble school, later known as the “Log College,” trained a handful of young men who would go on to lead revivals across the colonies and help shape early American Christianity during the Great Awakening.

Robert Morgan, author of 100 Bible Verses That Made America, shares how the Bible influenced early American history, the Great Awakening, and the spirit that helped lead toward the American Revolution.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

This is an I-Heart podcast.

0:02.5

Guaranteed Human.

0:14.0

This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories,

0:18.5

the show where America is the star and the American people. The search for the Our American Stories, the show where America is the star and the American people.

0:22.9

To search for The Our American Stories podcast, go to the IHeart Radio app.

0:28.0

William Tennant helped father the great awakening in the United Colonies,

0:32.5

which produced the spiritual strength of faith to win our liberty during the revolution. Here to tell this story

0:39.6

is Robert Morgan, who's the author of 100 Bible verses that made America, defining moments that

0:46.1

shaped our enduring foundation of faith. Let's take a listen. Reverend William Tennant Sr. was born in

0:54.0

Scotland and graduated from the University

0:56.2

of Edinburgh, but he was ordained into the Church of Ireland. When he migrated to the 13 colonies

1:02.7

in 1716, he was seeking freedom of religion, and he settled in Bucks County, Pennsylvania,

1:09.7

just north of Philadelphia, and there he served as a pastor.

1:14.0

But that's not all he did. He and his wife, Catherine, took in students who wanted to prepare for the

1:20.2

ministry. These young men became part of the tenant home, and William instructed them in matters of

1:26.5

theology and ministry.

1:28.8

In 1727, Tenet purchased 100 acres of land and built a log cabin to serve as a school for the

1:35.8

training of these pastoral students. The log cabin was across the street from his house,

1:41.4

and the students, which included his four sons, studied there.

1:46.1

It was a humble school, a literal log cabin academy, that lasted less than 20 years,

1:53.1

and never had more than one part-time teacher, and only had about 20 young men who studied there.

1:59.1

And yet the impact of that humble seminary on

...

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