The Charlotte Democrat., 1893-07-21
Queens Museum.


As we do not know Of any, even brief,
account of the famous Queen College at
Charlotte, We have thought the following
might be of interest in regard to that
historic school:
1t has always been counted the special
glory OF the Presbyterians that they early
established schools in their rneighborhoods.
Thus schools were opened by them in the
western settlements of North Carolina
from their very beginning. And we win
say that in examining old petitions and
association papers, to which many names
were signed o century and q quarter ago,
we have been struck with the few persons
who used the cross mark. 1t would seem
that the proportion Of men who wrote
their signatures than was quite as great
among the whites as now in the same
counties.
Among these school established by the
Presbyterians was one at Charlotte, where
. grammar school seems to have been in
operation for some years before ITO and
at the session Of the legislature in the
winter Of ITO an act was passed to estab.
lish and endow the Queens College with
the grammar school as its foundation.
The trustees, Edmund Fsnning, Thomas
Polk, John McKnitt Alexander, Hezekiah
Blanch, Waitsell Avery, Henry PatilIo,
Abner Nash and others were directed to
meet at the grammar school in the county
OF Mecklenburg On the lst day of March,
It'll, and elect president of the college
and tutors and the college was author.
lied to confer degrees. The president
was to be ofthe Established Church, but
there was no such provision as to the
Fellows and teachers. For the endow-
ment of the college tax Of pense was
laid for ten years on all liquors brought
into Mecklenburg county. The act was
to take effect Immediately. ..'.
Gov. Tryon approved the act, and the
trustees appear TO have met and elected
president and we see it stated that the
college was opened, and the school taught.
At the next session of the legislature, in
February, 1772, the act was amended, and
Gov. Tryon, in transmitting the amend
ment to England, said: 'The design of this
amendment being to invest the Trustees
and Fellows with the power Of graduation
during the absence of the president, who
is now out of the Province, without which
the Institution would be imperfect, /
thought it proper to assent thereto"
A full year after the trustees of the
college had elected their president, and
indeed after the amendment above men.
toned had been adopted by the legisla.
ture, the Board of Trade in England,
who had the oversight of the Colonies
and of all acts passed by the Colonial
legislatures, reported unfavorably on the
charter. This body, in its review of tho
act, adverted' to the fact that the Fellows,
Trustees and Tutors would be generally
PresbyteriaDs, and they also suggested
that the tax clause was too loosely drawn;
but they advised that the act be disal-
lowed because it fell within the descrip-
ton of those acts which the King had
instructed should not be adopted to take
effect before he had assented to them.
The act was disallowed on the ground
that it was passed to 60 into operation at
once, contrary to the Kings instructions,
and that it ought not therefore to have
been assented to by Governor Tryon.
An April 20, 1772, the King acted on
this report, and annulled the act, and
eventually Gov. Martin, who succeeded
Tryon, was 80 notified.
A college sufficiently equipped to confer
degrees could not be established in q year.
Progress seems to have been made, but
the character of the school could not have
been altered during the year or 30 before
the act of Incorporation was repealed.
But an act Of incorporation was not
necessary to the maintenance of the
school, 1t was necessary only as author.
ity to confer degrees and to provide for
any support BY taxation.
The school itself was not dependent on
these things. It was not dependent on
any act of Incorporation.
II appears to have been kept right on,
but the name was changed to the Queens
Museum.
In 1776 the Moderator and Members of
the Union Society, in Queens Museum,
Charlotte, awarded "a diploma to James
McEwen in the testimony Of his having
through the whole time Of our connection
together deported himself IN such man.
ner as to merit our full appreciation, both
as o faithful assistant ia school and
regular, useful member of society"
At the first session of the legislature of
the State of North Carolina in 1777, an
act was passed incorporating Liberty
Hall, as follows:
"Whereas, the proper education of fyouth
in this infant country is highly necessary,
ETC.. and
"Whereas, very promising expert
ment hath been made at seminary in
the county of Mecklenburg, and number
of youths there taught have made great
advancement in the knowledge of the
learned languages, and in the rudiments
of the arts and scienct 8. in the course Of
. regular and finished education, which
they have since completed at various
colleges in different parts of America; and
"Whereas, the seminary aforesaid and
the several teachers who have successfully
taught and presided therein, have hitherto
been almost wholly supported by private
subscriptions, etc, etc
These quotations show that there was o
school on the ground at the time Queens
College was incorporated; that the act
establishing the college went into partial
operation that the act was later repealed
by the King; that notwithstanding the
repeal of this act of incorporation, the
school was kept going and continued
under the name Of Queens Museum, until
in 1777 it was again incorporated az
Liberty Hall. There does not appear to
have been any interruption of the school