Mars Hill College - Laurel Yearbook (Mars Hill, NC)

Page 13 text:

I i vw-urn .'l'E1N I':l:1'ln!lhu.g-1-ge -I-r w 2 et 1 , W 5 . wiht t lu , MH Mm.. -dt.. ..A.. - - Cf W Ffi I .- , 7 .X L....,:,,: f G ' . 4 41,9 . 1 ' A ,, -1 -' M 5 N21 L3 V , .M kt .. f - L-7, , V J.. J , 3 f all nfl? as f l f Hg' ,I - -5 J teaching and discipline. The school was very successful under his management. At the time this was the most prominent Baptist school in Vllestern North Caro- lina, students coming from counties as far east as Guilford. During this term two other wooden buildings were erected. In the year 1859 the school was chartered by the General Assembly of North Carolina, and the name was changed to Mars Hill College. This char- ter gave the college the power of conferring all such degrees and marks of literary distinction as are usually conferred in colleges or seminaries of learning. This power has never been used, nor has it been taken away. It was very unfortunate for the school that the WVar Between the States should break out. During the war it was necessary for the college to close its doors to students. The buildings on the campus were used as quarters for the soldiers, and during the latter years of the war the two wooden buildings were burned. These buildings signified great sacrifices on the part of those who had helped to build them, and the burning of them brought a tremendous loss to the community. As a result of the war the college was left in a very bad condition. This section was shadowed by poverty, and the hatreds engendered during the con- flict were probably responsible for a lack of cooperation. For a period following the war a branch of the Masonic Orphanage of Oxford was set up on this property, and more than thirty children were placed here. After this had proved unwise, the property was turned back to the board of trustees. There was no satisfactory equipment. and the college was unable to furnish anything but very poor salaries for the teachers. Althought the outlook for the college was gloomy. Thr Charter Ci-wr Power of lffifzlrrrirzg JIU Dfryrffir Thr' UYIU' llfffrfffl flif' Sfzifm Rz't'l11I.1ffllfffull Dayr al .Vary Hill ' tr-L ::L j..b, 1.-1:7511 9:5 wv'a':inmeeg'Ar,pFf v f Lk .si an -y ..1 ,. ,ls-ff, ,. ..:4r-,, ig , V -g sw ' , .i .. . - .V r- .vm ,. i . will-' th.-!2d?z!'ii:25vZr!.i. :nl-awe-imatle5 'U1.-ia 1iH1sfJr11sisflleSdn:,i,izliilfkkivm' .f-allfzimslwsliwfifzuiil...:'I ...aa-:' ' . '-JZe5ldll!5fRENiH:alM34l5ilB3Z2i2H'J?-ff.lh'Eira'hfv'uw-9:u21:1r:mnraun-mas

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l . 1 2 E H l s i 1 4 11 lg ix! f is A 1 i I I .-I Struggle' To .Veer the Cort A Slave If Levin! On IO Srrnre the Deb? The School I: Opened Eighty years ago there were very few familiesliving Within live miles of Mars Hill, and they had only humble dwellings and little land. There was no asso- ciation or group of people willing to back the effort to build a school for the children, who were without educational opportuntiyg thus the burden rested en- tirely upon the shoulders of these men. Work was begun toward drawing up the plans and securing subscriptions for the school, and a contract was given to Shackleford and Clayton of Asheville to erect a two-story brick building, which was not finished until the spring of 1856. This same building was used for more than fifty years as a classroom and also as the meeting place of the Baptist Church, which was probably organized in the same year that the school opened its doors. Even though many made liberal gifts, the school was left with a debt of approximately 51,200 and not a cent in the treasury, after the completion of this building. Joe, a slave of the president of the board of trustees, was levied on for this remaining debt. The sheriff took Joe to Asheville and placed him in jail, where he was to be kept until the day of the sale. Eleven of these faithful men agreed to share the debt equally. Joe was brought back from Asheville and forever remained grateful to the people who would not permit him to be sold. The school opened in the fall of the year 1856 under the name of The French Broad Institute, with W. A. G. Brown in charge. hir. Brown was a distinguished scholar of his time and helped to found several colleges. A few students entered this first year, with Nlajor Wallace VV. Robbins as the first to register. ln the year 1858 Nlr. Brown was succeeded by John B. Nlarsh of Binghamp- ton. New York. lN'lr. hlarsh was an accomplished English scholar. thorough in l iA v ' 94143156-'iliiiitlitiiiiliiiililihiiiiifiixilli53155331213liiiiiifiliE-1H5hililiiliiilliisiiillhill!

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i 15017- .4 New Start for .llarr Hill 17011 nding of Ihr Literary Societies' there were many outstanding teachers here during this period. Some of these were: john Amtnons, R. Sams, hleriwether Lewis, F. Tilson, and W. P. Jervis. Among the students here at that time some were destined to become great, such as: Judge Jeter Pritchard, who became an eminent jurist and United States Senator. and Hon. john Q. Tilson, who was for many years the floor leader in the House of Representatives. Around the year 1890 hlars Hill got a new start, and signs were visible for a brighter future than the past had been. In this year a line young man, a graduate of Wake Forest, came to take the place of president of the college. Conditions now demanding that the college be placed on a higher plane, Tom Hufham began working diligently, with this as his aim. A little later the outlook was made even brighter by the coming of John E. White. Ever since the days of these men, students have been leaving the lofty hills of Western North Caro- lina to go out into the world and take their places in every walk of life. During the years that Hufham was in charge a building program began. It was neces- sary to furnish more room at the college, and what is now the music building was erected. The trustees were very eager to see the college move forward, yet they were able to do little in providing money. The people here at that time worked earnestly and joined in sacrifices for the college which was destined to become a great Christian institution. Hufham and Vl'hite were both men who were eager to train the students in every possible field. Before this time there had been an old debating society in which many took part. The debating had not been made a great attraction, however, and did not furnish sufficient interest. Hufham and White had been members of the literary societies at Wake Forest and knew that societies, run 1: I 'H' - - l 1 I -1- -Q .. ' I 1 U ' 'V' if ' . I V X- il l ' . 29.1, f ji 9, jpg? 3-32 Q, gt g A QT - A ll-Xi: A SJ. 5 , r F ' .. ' 1 -Q V, 1-1. minima Niall'fillii'nli1E5E?lsiiiiiihmiWlilllkiillillilEllimimlilfliililiiiilfiillflliii' it I