The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1920-05-14
CHOWAN COLLEGE
REMAINS BURIED
Elizabeth City Loses With Ming
led Feelings Of Disgust
and Relief

After announcing that tthey
would remove Chowan College
from Murfreesboro to some town
affording a more desirable loca-
ton and offering a cash bonus,
and after keeping four or five
rival towns stirred up for six
months, working all sorts of COM
mittees overtime, the trustees Of
Chowan College have decided to
keep. the school at Murfreesboro.
This decision was reached at the
annual meeting of the Board Of
Trustees of the College, at Muir
freesboro, Monday, May 10.
Elizabeth City had its delegation on
hansi at Murfreesbora with an offer
Of a free site and cash bonus of $125,
600 if the college would locate at Eliz- =
abeth City. Edenton was on hand with
a proposition nearly as good. Other
towns that had formerly been among
the bidders for the college had already
dropped out.
And so the trustees of Chowan Col
lege had only to decide whether to re-
move the college to Edenton or Eliza
beth City. They hid already twice put
themselves on record that the college
would be removed .from Murfreesboro;
every one thought that point settled.
But the trustees couldn't agree on
either Edenton or Elizbeth City. Some
favored Elizabeth City. Some favored
Edenton. Neither side wanted to give
in. And so the trustees who had twice
given their Baptist word that the college
would be removed, decided to change
their minds and let the school slumber
on in, We ancient village of Murfrees-
boro,-or ''Muffiesboro'', as the natives
call it.
The latest decision of the Trustees of
Chowan College leaves Elizabeth City
somewhat sore and somewhat relieved.
Our folk feel sore because they have
been put to months of needless worry
and expense entertaining an impossible
proposition. On the other hand, a lot
of our folk admit feeling of relief
since we will, not get the school and have
to foot the bills incident to giving it
site and a cash bonus of $125, 900. We
are out college which we would like
to have, but we are in something like
$15O,0OO and then some.
Those acquainted with the Baptist
temperament and with the personnel of
the Board of Trustees of Chowan Col
lege are not surprised at the vacilating,
irresolute land disappointing tactics of
the trustees. There were still some in
Elizabeth City who thought Elizabeth
City could get the college because E. F.
Aydlett is on the Board of Trustees.
But Mr.. Aydlett doesn't seem to move
things like he used to. Incidentally
Mr.. Aydlett is relieved of pledge of
$4,000 conditional upon the college
coming to this city.
Commenting upon the decision of the
trustees one Elizabeth City business man
said yesterday. Il regret the vast
amount of energy wasted in that college
drive; if our people had spent one half
the effort and pledged one half the
money involved, we could have located
the Alladin factory here a few months
ago, But we let the Alladin people get
away from US and go down to Whining
500 persons, while we chased an elusive
college"
Just how the splendid men and women
who gave so much of their time to the
work of securing pledges for the col
lege here is not generally known. They
are not saying much