The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-07-29
Many Henderson Countians
Educated There After
Civil War

One of the outstanding land
marks Of HcndcrSonvillc. is the
stone building at Fleming street
and Third avenue. which was 70:
many years the home Of historl"
Judson College.
Here. between the days "E
the War Between the States
and the ninctics. many Of
Henderson county'S sons and
daughters received a college cdu-
cation. The institution conferred
"A. Il. degrees. 1t was opened
around 1872 under the name of
Western North Carolina Female
college. but later became co-cdu-
cational and was known aS JudSon
college.
The movcmnct for starting tt"
college was launched in 1888 be
fore a meeting of the Salem Bar-
fist association. which embraced
the territory of North Carolina
south and west of AShcvill". The
association approved the idea and
its promoters. the Rev. Nelson
Bowen and the Rev. James Blythe,
carried it before the Wcstcr Bap-
fist convention of North Carolina,
which met that same year. 1t, too,
approved of it and agreed to Spon-
Sor it. In 1859, Mr.. Bowen, act
ing as financial agent. bought the
property, which consisted Of more
than seven acres. Work was be-
gun. but before it was completed
the War Between the States broke
out and the project was abandon
ed temporarily. In the course Of
the war q troop of Federal c&val-
ry was Quartcrcd in the chapel OF
the building. After the war the
threc-Story. stone buildin" was
completed. 1t is said that the huge
solid rock columns in the front
were placed there by women dur.
ing the war
Finding the project tagging, Mr..
Bowen gave up job he had with
the Baptist Home Mission board,
then known MS the Domestic and
Indian board, to come back and
take the position of financial
agent. Soon he had the work bacE
ON its feet and in 1878 the school
opened as the Western North Car
olina Female college. During the
time that it operated more than
100 Indian girls from the Chcro-
h"c reservation were sent her" by
the government to be educated.
In 1878 the convention sold The
property to the Western North
Carolina Education company, a
group Of men mostly Bap,ists, and
headed by Pickncy Rollins. They
changed the name to .IudSon col
lcGc and operated the school as
Il co-cducational institution.
In 1892, because of debts
against it. the college WAS sold at
auction to Jesse R. StarneS, AND
+. C.. Starncs of Asheville. The
same year J. NJ. Brookshirc
bought the holdings Of I. G.
Starnes and with Jesse r. Starnes
ran the school for two years OH
the same basis as it had been OPP
Grated. At this time it ceased TO
function as Il college, but was run
as 4 preparatory school for two
years by Professor C. H. DetWiler,
who later became one Of the out
standing ministers in the Metho-
dist conference. 1t was then OPP
Grated Il few years as high
school and in 1908 the city Of
Hendersonvillc bought it for use
as Il graded school building.
Until 1912 it served as the
home of the HendersonvTllc grad
cd school at which time the school
was moved to a larger building.
For three years it stood vacant
and became run down. In 1915 1t
was bought by Dr.. Guy +. Dixon,
for the purpose Of establishing
health sanatorium. which he OPP
Grated for several years.. 1t
is now an apartment building.
The college had become greatly
rundown when it was taken over.
by the education company and 1t
opened in 1879 with only two
teachers, ". A. G. Brown and W.
G.. +. Morris. father of X. G. Nor
ris. However. the school grew and
in the next year was placed under
the presidency Of the Rev. W. A.
Nelson. Under the guiding hands
of such men us W. \. Nelson, W.
G.. Mccarthy, X. NJ. Lewis, and }.
B. Boone, as presidents, it was the
outstanding college of the western
part of the state for 13 years, and
turned out many men who have
become outstanding citizens in
this section and elsewhere. 1t was
the custom of the young minister
ial students who attended the col
lege to go out in the summer
months and hold revivals thru
out the country. 1t was in one of
the revivals held in 1885 by the
Rev. J. G. Pullman, d young min
isterial student, that the Rev.
DR.. George w. Truett, now of