Brevard College - Pertelote Yearbook (Brevard, NC)

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Z. Bi Taylor ' s Dream Fulfilled Institute provides education for needy. In 1895 Brevard Institute was found- ed by two benevolent people. Mr. and Mrs. Fitch Taylor. They began the school to provide an education for stu- dents who otherwise could not afford one. One of the Taylors ' main concerns was the educa- tion of females. The school began in the old Henning house in Bre- vard, it was located past the post office on West Main Street. The Taylors began the school with the help of the Epworth League and the sale of their own furniture. The people of the mountains mistrusted the idea of education, especially for females. So. the first female boarding student had to be paid to attend. Be- fore long the Henning House couldn ' t hold all the girls, and Mr. Taylor had to purchase a bigger home. He bought the Red House on Probart Street and they began to include courses for boysi but soon the Red House was outgrown and the Epworth League helped the Taylors purchase four acres of land in 1902. The school was named Brevard Ep- worth School and construction of a Sarah and fitch Taylor, the founders of Brevard Institute. large frame building began but was never finished. There was not enough income to support the school, so the school was closed. In October of 1904 the Women ' s Home Mission Board of the Southern Methodist Church reopened the doors of the now-named Brevard Industrial Institute. Mr. E.E. Bishop was elected principal and through hours of dedi- cated labor he finished the building started earlier by the Taylors. Mr. Bishop left the school in 1904, and Mr. C.H. Trow- bridge became principal. Mr. Trowbridge would see the school through the next 16 years of growth. He oversaw the buying of 100 acres of land, the construction of an administration build- ing and Ross Hall. The old Taylor Hall was brick veneered. In order to keep ex- penses down, most stu- dents worked around campus at various jobs. This also served another purpose, that of teaching students basic household and farm chores. An old brochure from Brevard Institute stated: It is not un- common for a girl to go home from this school and succeed in making over her own home and also in changing the manner of life of a large part of her BREVARD INSTITUTE Compared to today, the classes at the Institute were old fashioned. Typing class is recognizable, but how many would guess that the studen right are in Botany lab?

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Robert Laban Abcrnaihy. founder of Rutherford. When students found some free time, they had numerous clubs to join: literary societies, ministerial club, glee club, dramatic club, monogram club and the Student Council. In 1930 the Student Council, for the first time, was run exclusively by the students. Ath- letics were important at Rutherford too. The Ramblers, the football team, won many games against freshman teams of varsity colleges and small four-year schools. The first night foot- ball in North Carolina was played at Rutherford College. In 1924. C.S. Weaver arrived. At that time. Ruther- ford ' s only competition was high school teams. In one year. Weaver made a cham- pionship baseball team. Rutherford College held that honor for three straight years. Under Weaver ' s leader- ship all of the sports flourished. One of the girls ' dorms, nicknamed Misery Hall, was given strict regula- tions on October 21, 1920. It appears the girls were given permission to go to the stores for purchases and to pick up mail. According to the notice, the girls were abusing their privileges and were thereafter required to ask to go the store and only once a day for 15 minutes. 10 demerits were given for each offence. The notice also stated: It has become necessary to put a stop to the promiscuous promenades and cornering off for conversations. Any young lady will, therefore, be given ten demerits for holding a more extended conversation than necessary for a for- mal greeting, when meeting a young man. The depression hit a small college like Rutherford hard. The school was helped through the depression by Bear Johnson ' s Farmers Brigade. There was land on the school property on which boys grew corn, peas, beans, okra. and potatoes, so the school had plenty of food. But hard times proved to be too much for the small college, and in 1933 the trustees voted to close the school. For three years it was operated by the Burke County Board of Education as a high school and at the end of those three years, Rutherford College. Weaver College, and Brevard Institute merged to form Brevard College. One of Rutherford CoUege ' s dormitories. The Newtonian literary haH. vi

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home community. The girls shared all of the household chores: cooking, sweeping, dusting, serving, and laun- dry work. Every student was expected to spend an hour daily on duty work. The Institute was not a college but a high school. The usual courses were offered along with special classes in piano and voice, bookkeeping, short- hand, typewriting, agriculture, dress- making, millinery, household econom- ics, lace-making, and ironing. The In- stitute prepared young women to teach lower grades in rural schools. The music department taught specially designed courses to prepare students to teach music. The students were re- quired to have 4 years of drill, knowl- edge of theory and harmony, and instructions in the teaching of music. Seniors in the music department had pupils under their direction. The com- mercial department helped students prepare themselves for better posi- tions in commercial life. Pupils in the dressmaking department were offered courses in sample sewing, cutting, fit- ting, and garment making. The milli- nery class made frames, bands, and wire hats. They also practiced trim- ming hats. Apparently, the Institute tried to treat students with great respect. They (the I nstitute) made as few rules as possible. The reason was that only those rules that would apply as fully after graduation as before would be An aerial view showing Brevard Institute and the surrounding countryside. enforced. But those who did not abide by the rules could find life unbearable. Brevard Institute fulfilled its mis- sion. Young women and men learned the necessary skills for succeeding in their day and expanded their worlds at the same time. The value of the Institute has long been recognized. The following quote explains why the Institute was so important to this area. Hundreds of young people had been provided an education at a time when public education was almost non- existent. Attendance grew from one student in 1895 to over 300 boys and girls in 1926. By 1933. due to tremen- dous strides in public education, en- rollment had dropped to 33 students. The Institute ' s job was done as far as a primary and secondary education was concerned. The Fitch Taylors ' dream of education had been fulfilled. So end- ed an era. (Transylvania Times 9 18 75) On July 28. 1933 Brevard Institute closed and relocated its program at Vashti school in Thomasville, Georgia. The Women ' s Missionary Council sold the Institute property to the Western North Carolina Conference as a site for the planned merger of Rutherford and Weaver Colleges. During the days of tlie Institute, classes included lecture and practical instruction.