diff --git a/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/AkkaSpec.scala b/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/AkkaSpec.scala
index a0e8948d6c..55e48a32ea 100644
--- a/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/AkkaSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/AkkaSpec.scala
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.TimeoutException
 import akka.dispatch.Dispatchers
 import akka.pattern.ask
 
-object AkkaSpec {
+private[akka] object AkkaSpec {
   val testConf: Config = ConfigFactory.parseString("""
       akka {
         event-handlers = ["akka.testkit.TestEventListener"]
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ object AkkaSpec {
 
 }
 
-abstract class AkkaSpec(_system: ActorSystem)
+private[akka] abstract class AkkaSpec(_system: ActorSystem)
   extends TestKit(_system) with WordSpec with MustMatchers with BeforeAndAfterAll {
 
   def this(config: Config) = this(ActorSystem(AkkaSpec.getCallerName(getClass),
@@ -89,90 +89,3 @@ abstract class AkkaSpec(_system: ActorSystem)
   def spawn(dispatcherId: String = Dispatchers.DefaultDispatcherId)(body: ⇒ Unit): Unit =
     Future(body)(system.dispatchers.lookup(dispatcherId))
 }
-
-@org.junit.runner.RunWith(classOf[org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner])
-class AkkaSpecSpec extends WordSpec with MustMatchers {
-
-  "An AkkaSpec" must {
-
-    "warn about unhandled messages" in {
-      implicit val system = ActorSystem("AkkaSpec0", AkkaSpec.testConf)
-      try {
-        val a = system.actorOf(Props.empty)
-        EventFilter.warning(start = "unhandled message", occurrences = 1) intercept {
-          a ! 42
-        }
-      } finally {
-        system.shutdown()
-      }
-    }
-
-    "terminate all actors" in {
-      // verbose config just for demonstration purposes, please leave in in case of debugging
-      import scala.collection.JavaConverters._
-      val conf = Map(
-        "akka.actor.debug.lifecycle" -> true, "akka.actor.debug.event-stream" -> true,
-        "akka.loglevel" -> "DEBUG", "akka.stdout-loglevel" -> "DEBUG")
-      val system = ActorSystem("AkkaSpec1", ConfigFactory.parseMap(conf.asJava).withFallback(AkkaSpec.testConf))
-      val spec = new AkkaSpec(system) {
-        val ref = Seq(testActor, system.actorOf(Props.empty, "name"))
-      }
-      spec.ref foreach (_.isTerminated must not be true)
-      system.shutdown()
-      spec.awaitCond(spec.ref forall (_.isTerminated), 2 seconds)
-    }
-
-    "must stop correctly when sending PoisonPill to rootGuardian" in {
-      val system = ActorSystem("AkkaSpec2", AkkaSpec.testConf)
-      val spec = new AkkaSpec(system) {}
-      val latch = new TestLatch(1)(system)
-      system.registerOnTermination(latch.countDown())
-
-      system.actorFor("/") ! PoisonPill
-
-      Await.ready(latch, 2 seconds)
-    }
-
-    "must enqueue unread messages from testActor to deadLetters" in {
-      val system, otherSystem = ActorSystem("AkkaSpec3", AkkaSpec.testConf)
-
-      try {
-        var locker = Seq.empty[DeadLetter]
-        implicit val timeout = TestKitExtension(system).DefaultTimeout
-        implicit val davyJones = otherSystem.actorOf(Props(new Actor {
-          def receive = {
-            case m: DeadLetter ⇒ locker :+= m
-            case "Die!"        ⇒ sender ! "finally gone"; context.stop(self)
-          }
-        }), "davyJones")
-
-        system.eventStream.subscribe(davyJones, classOf[DeadLetter])
-
-        val probe = new TestProbe(system)
-        probe.ref ! 42
-        /*
-       * this will ensure that the message is actually received, otherwise it
-       * may happen that the system.stop() suspends the testActor before it had
-       * a chance to put the message into its private queue
-       */
-        probe.receiveWhile(1 second) {
-          case null ⇒
-        }
-
-        val latch = new TestLatch(1)(system)
-        system.registerOnTermination(latch.countDown())
-        system.shutdown()
-        Await.ready(latch, 2 seconds)
-        Await.result(davyJones ? "Die!", timeout.duration) must be === "finally gone"
-
-        // this will typically also contain log messages which were sent after the logger shutdown
-        locker must contain(DeadLetter(42, davyJones, probe.ref))
-      } finally {
-        system.shutdown()
-        otherSystem.shutdown()
-      }
-    }
-
-  }
-}
-
diff --git a/akka-testkit/src/test/scala/akka/testkit/AkkaSpecSpec.scala b/akka-testkit/src/test/scala/akka/testkit/AkkaSpecSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..23203dee90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-testkit/src/test/scala/akka/testkit/AkkaSpecSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2012 Typesafe Inc. <http://www.typesafe.com>
+ */
+package akka.testkit
+
+import org.scalatest.WordSpec
+import org.scalatest.matchers.MustMatchers
+import akka.actor._
+import com.typesafe.config.ConfigFactory
+import concurrent.Await
+import scala.concurrent.util.duration._
+import akka.actor.DeadLetter
+import akka.pattern.ask
+
+@org.junit.runner.RunWith(classOf[org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner])
+class AkkaSpecSpec extends WordSpec with MustMatchers {
+
+  "An AkkaSpec" must {
+
+    "warn about unhandled messages" in {
+      implicit val system = ActorSystem("AkkaSpec0", AkkaSpec.testConf)
+      try {
+        val a = system.actorOf(Props.empty)
+        EventFilter.warning(start = "unhandled message", occurrences = 1) intercept {
+          a ! 42
+        }
+      } finally {
+        system.shutdown()
+      }
+    }
+
+    "terminate all actors" in {
+      // verbose config just for demonstration purposes, please leave in in case of debugging
+      import scala.collection.JavaConverters._
+      val conf = Map(
+        "akka.actor.debug.lifecycle" -> true, "akka.actor.debug.event-stream" -> true,
+        "akka.loglevel" -> "DEBUG", "akka.stdout-loglevel" -> "DEBUG")
+      val system = ActorSystem("AkkaSpec1", ConfigFactory.parseMap(conf.asJava).withFallback(AkkaSpec.testConf))
+      val spec = new AkkaSpec(system) {
+        val ref = Seq(testActor, system.actorOf(Props.empty, "name"))
+      }
+      spec.ref foreach (_.isTerminated must not be true)
+      system.shutdown()
+      spec.awaitCond(spec.ref forall (_.isTerminated), 2 seconds)
+    }
+
+    "must stop correctly when sending PoisonPill to rootGuardian" in {
+      val system = ActorSystem("AkkaSpec2", AkkaSpec.testConf)
+      val spec = new AkkaSpec(system) {}
+      val latch = new TestLatch(1)(system)
+      system.registerOnTermination(latch.countDown())
+
+      system.actorFor("/") ! PoisonPill
+
+      Await.ready(latch, 2 seconds)
+    }
+
+    "must enqueue unread messages from testActor to deadLetters" in {
+      val system, otherSystem = ActorSystem("AkkaSpec3", AkkaSpec.testConf)
+
+      try {
+        var locker = Seq.empty[DeadLetter]
+        implicit val timeout = TestKitExtension(system).DefaultTimeout
+        implicit val davyJones = otherSystem.actorOf(Props(new Actor {
+          def receive = {
+            case m: DeadLetter ⇒ locker :+= m
+            case "Die!"        ⇒ sender ! "finally gone"; context.stop(self)
+          }
+        }), "davyJones")
+
+        system.eventStream.subscribe(davyJones, classOf[DeadLetter])
+
+        val probe = new TestProbe(system)
+        probe.ref ! 42
+        /*
+       * this will ensure that the message is actually received, otherwise it
+       * may happen that the system.stop() suspends the testActor before it had
+       * a chance to put the message into its private queue
+       */
+        probe.receiveWhile(1 second) {
+          case null ⇒
+        }
+
+        val latch = new TestLatch(1)(system)
+        system.registerOnTermination(latch.countDown())
+        system.shutdown()
+        Await.ready(latch, 2 seconds)
+        Await.result(davyJones ? "Die!", timeout.duration) must be === "finally gone"
+
+        // this will typically also contain log messages which were sent after the logger shutdown
+        locker must contain(DeadLetter(42, davyJones, probe.ref))
+      } finally {
+        system.shutdown()
+        otherSystem.shutdown()
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}