Skip To Main Content

History

Since 1845, our school has thrived under the care of the Germantown Monthly Meeting. At GFS, our view of the present—and of the future—is informed by our long history. This timeline provides both a microscope and a wide-angle lens to examine the school’s history, personalities, and campus changes.

 

GFS History Series

Former GFS history teacher Bill Koons began a history of the school in 1989. Building on his work, Tim Wood and Kate Stover, archivists and former GFS parents, brought these stories to our community this year. Read more about the project here.

As you read these seven installments, you will walk through more than a hundred years of Germantown Friends School history. Along the way, you will discover how and why the school was founded, meet the people at the heart of the school, witness the evolving campus, become more familiar with curricular advances, and learn how the school responded to local and national challenges.  Stories, analysis, photos, and rich details will make the history of the school from 1845-1970 come alive.

Germantown Friends School: A Photographic History, 1845-2015

Few media bring the past to life like photos. Here, in this 170-year retrospective, we bring the history of Germantown Friends School into sharp focus.

Dive into history, where more than 270 photographs and essays tell the story of GFS's evolution.

$20 per copy/$5 shipping. 

Contact our Archivist to order your copy.