E2024-G121

As Seen Through Landmarks: The Influence of Western Missionaries in the Early Japanese Colonial Period

Narrative

Looking at Gwangju’s landmark buildings, the 1910s and 1920s are marked by buildings associated with Western missionaries, namely those of the Southern Presbyterian Church, all centered around Yangnim History and Culture Village. These include Owen Memorial Hall (1914), Missionary Wilson’s House (1920), and the buildings of Speer Girls School, namely Speer Hall (1911), Curtis Memorial Hall (1925), and Winsborough Hall (1927). These buildings are a testament to the influence of Western missionaries on the culture, education, and architecture of Gwangju in the early 20th century.

• Owen Memorial Hall
  • Owen Memorial Hall was built in 1914 to commemorate the American medical missionary Dr. Clement C. Owen (1867-1909), one of the first Protestant missionaries in Jeollanam-do Province, and his grandfather William Owen. Clement Owen came to Korea in 1898 on behalf of the Southern Presbyterian Church and began his missionary work in Mokpo. In 1904, he moved to Gwangju and died in 1909 due to acute pneumonia. When he was alive, Owen planned to establish a building in memory of his grandfather, but failed to do so. After Owen’s death, his relatives living in America sent a $4,200 donation to commemorate his missionary work. These funds were used to build the Owen Memorial Hall, thus fulfilling Owen’s wish. The memorial hall is a two-story square building with a grey brick exterior and a wooden interior. Inside the building, a pulpit is placed at one corner with the pews oriented toward it, creating a diagonally symmetrical interior layout.
• Missionary Wilson’s House
  • Missionary Wilson’s House’s is the oldest Western-style house in Gwangju, is said to have been built in 1920 by the American missionary Robert M. Wilson (1880-1963), who was the second director of Jechungwon Hospital (which later became Severance Hospital). The two-story grey brick building is currently used as the office of the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church in Korea.
• Former Jennie Speer Memorial School for Girls
  • The Former Jennie Speer Memorial School for Girls was founded in 1908 by the missionary Eugene Bell (1868-1925). The school’s first principal was Ella Graham. The three-story Speer Hall was built in 1911 with funds sent by a Mrs. M. L. Sterns to commemorate her younger sister, Jennie Speer. Curtis Memorial Hall is a chapel built in 1925 to commemorate Eugene Bell, who died that same year. It is named after Mrs. Curtis, who donated funds to support the building’s construction. Winsborough Hall was built in 1927 by the missionary Martin Luther Swinehart (1874-1957) with funds donated by Hallie Winsborough.

Story Map

• Missionary Legacy: Western Christianity’s Transformation of Gwangju
  • As Seen Through Landmarks: The Influence of Western Missionaries in the Early Japanese Colonial Period
  • The Western Missionaries Laid to Rest in Gwangju: Yangnim-dong Missionary Cemetery
  • The Introduction of Western Residential Housing: Missionary Wilson’s House
  • Gone Too Soon in a Foreign Land: Missionary Children Who Passed Away in Gwangju
  • The Bell Family
  • The Nightingale of Korea: Elisabeth Johanna Shepping and the History of Nursing in Korea
  • Korea in the Early Twentieth Century as Seen by Western Missionaries in Gwangju