The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-10-26
SKETCH OF JUDSON COLLEGE
By HARRIET REED WHITAKER

The history of Judson college of
HenderSonvillc, will be of inter-
est TO the men and women who
were pupils of this institution,
and to the descendants of those
men and women who gave of
their means to build it at the time
when Western North Carolina
was in its struggling formative
period. When there were no rail
roads and the sound of the stage
horn was heard in the land, and
the hum of the wheel, and the
beat of the loom, was a familiar
sound in the homes of the noun
tainS and the covcS.
The history Of JudSOn college
was made by struggles and the
sacrifice of these pioneer Baptist
people of the mountains who
were not remisS in their duty to-
ward early Christian education.
At the session of Salem asso-
citation in 1856 they discussed the
establishing of female college
at Hcndcrsonville, and 5000 was
subscribed toward the building.
The same year the proposition
was submitted to the Western
Baptist convention that met at
Taylorsville. resolution was
passed to establish Il female col
iege and locate it in Henderson,
vile. Twenty trustees were APP
pointed as follows: Rev. James
Blythe, Rev. Nelson Bowen, A,
NJ. Hawkins. V. Ripley, DR., w. ID,
Whitfield. j. p. Jordan, ID. +,
Stradlcy, NJ. NJ. Patton, j. H.
Allen, DR.. T. A. Allen, ID. King,
James King, S. X. Stansill, W. ID.
JustuS, David Garrcn, Benjamin
King. Rev. Thomas Stradley, I.
B. JustuS, T. Davis and c. +,
MinguS.
September 9, 1858, the trustees
met i'm session at the courthouse
i'm Hendersonvillc. Officers OF
the board were elected for one
year: President, Rev. Nelson
Bowen; treasurer, Dan King; sec
rotary. Dr. 7. 4. Allen.
In the Henderson county deed
record book No. s, page $50
shows record of the deed made
May 6, 1859, from VI. NJ. Patton
of HendcrSonville to Rev. Nelson
Bowen, chairman of the board OF
trustees of the Western North
Carolina Baptist Female college
7 acres 3 rods and % poles, fol
$500 is recorded.
This beautiful plot of land was
located three blocks west OF
Main street between Third anc
Fourth avenues.
Under many difficulties anC
much toll there was erected 8
building of native stone, three
stories high, 1913 feet long by as
feet wide, the only female college
of the Baptist denomination in Il
of the western counties of NOrtF
Carolina. The charter allowed the
owners 100000 worth of prop
erty.
The. work was progressing salts
factorily when the War Between
the States started. The stone
masons, carpenters and workmer
laid aside the tools of their Graf
and took up their weapons in de
Tense of the cause OF the Con
federacy.
The intrepid wives and sisters
of the stone cutters in their de
termination to see that the build
ing was not stopped, hcwcd The
immense pillars of the porche'
themselves. These women who la
bored to aid in the completion o,
this institution, were Sarah
Eliza and Tilda Corne, descend
ants of J. p. Corne, a Revolution
airy soldier and a pioneer o.
Western North Carolina. These
pillars for the porcheS were Sc
large that n special large wager
had to be made to haul them on
During the war the fedora
troops damaged the building.
There are no records of th'
board of trustees meetings from