Elon University - Phi Psi Cli Yearbook (Elon, NC)

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PJii sicli, Nineteen Twenty-One Historical Sketch LON COLLEGE, situated at Elon College in the Piedmont section o North Carolina, is an evolution of the desire for a college on the part of the Christian Church in the South. In reality its beginning should be dated back to the year 1826 rather than 1889, as it now appears on the records of the State Department. The pioneer in the field of religious education among the people of the Christian Church, who later founded Elon, was Elder Daniel Wilson Kerr. In 1826 the Wake Forest Pleasant Grove Academy was incorporated with Elder Kerr as principal, and from that time until his death in 1850, he incorporated two similar institutions of learnmg, of which he was also principal. It is true that the schools he headed up were begun on his own initiative, but they were endorsed by the conferences of the Christian Church and were regarded by him as denominat:onal schools. . ... ,,., Two years after his death the seed of h:s sowing bore a finer fruit in the estabhshment of Graham Institute m Graham, Alamance County, with Rev. John R. Holt as principal In 1857 it was chartered as Graham College, with Prof. W. H. Doherty as president, under whose administration it flourished until the Civil War, during which it suffered such depletion that its doors were closed. A few years later Rev. W. S. Long came into possession of the Graham College property and operated the school as Graham Normal College. It was endorsed by the conferences of the Church and ceased to exist upon the opening of Elon College. In 1887 the Southern Christian Convention decided to take over this school and operate it as its own church college, but finding the equipment inade- quate for the needs, they chose as the site of their college Mill Point, the present location of Elon College, and immediately set about to build and equip the school. A charter was granted the institution March 1 1, 1889, with Dr. W. S. Long as president, and on May 20th of that year the corner stone of the first building was laid. Elon College opened its doors for the reception of students September 2, 1890, enrolling seventy-six students during the fall term of the first year. The original plant consisted of the Administration Building and the East Dormitory, though neither of these buildings was completed at the opening. Scaffolding was still up on the Administration Building, and the East Dormitory was not covered. During the first year these buildings were made available for service, though they were not completed until Dr. Staley ' s administration. In the early history of the college young men lived in the third floor of the Administration Building, while the young ladies were domiciled in the East Dormitory. Later the young men received the right to live in the East Dor- mitory, and the young ladies boarded in the village. In the fall of 1897 the young ladies again became invested with dormitory rights and held the East Dormitory until the West Dormitory was opened. In its history Elon has not been different from other denominational colleges, its strug- gle for existence being pronounced. During Dr. Long ' s administration the financial prob- lem was in a measure solved by a financial agent. Dr. W. T. Herndon, the first financial agent, instituted a drive for funds in the early ' 90 ' s. This undertaking was to raise $10,000.00 from ten men of the Church. Such a proposition at that time was a gigantic undertaking, especially since the Church in this section was relatively weak. Success crowned his efforts and the goal was reached. Rev. W. W. Staley, D.D., succeeded Dr. Long as president of the institution in 1895, and served as non-residen t president for eleven years, with Dr. J. U. Newman as his dean for nine years and Dr. J. O Atkinson for the other two. During his adminis- Pafe eleven