Linwood Female College

Last updated March 09, 2024

Linwood Female College was an American women's college associated with the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP). It was located at the foot of Crowders Mountain, near Gastonia, North Carolina. The school was also known as Jones' Seminary in its early years, and as Linwood College in its last years. The school was in operation from 1884 to 1921.

History

Around 1884, Emily Prudden of Connecticut founded a school for white girls at the former site of All Healing Springs, a popular mineral springs resort.^[1] The former resort's grounds were also briefly used for an industrial school after the American Civil War.^[2] Prudden's school soon became the ARP-associated Jones Seminary, with the financial backing of Edwin S. Jones, a judge in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Cyrus Hampton ran the school from 1889 to 1898; the school closed for a year when Hampton retired for health reasons, but re-opened in the fall of 1900 witth A. G. Kirkpatrick as its president.^[1]

After the retirement of college president A. G. Kirkpatrick, the college was taken over by Archie Thompson Lindsay, a local ARP minister,^[3] and his brother, Ernest Lindsay. A year later, the Lindsays asked the student body to propose a new name for the college since it was no longer under the ownership of Judge Jones, and the all-female student body put together the name "Linwood" by honoring the president and the wooded area surrounding the school. The school had a campus of 325 acres near Crowders Mountain.^[4]

The college operated as Linwood Female College^[5] from 1904 until 1915, when it became a coeducational school in an attempt to improve its financial situation. The name was then shortened to Linwood College. The college closed due to financial difficulties in 1921.

Faculty and alumni

A. T. Lindsay announced that the 1907 faculty of Linwood Female College would include Frances Wideman as Lady Principal, with teachers Phronia Falls, Nell Orr, Bessie Boyce, Mary Copenhaver, Lucy Wallace, and Eleanor Gourdin, and Sallie Holland as one of the matrons.^[6] Eunice Riggins was selected Lady Principal of Linwood College in 1916.^[1]

Two notable alumni of Linwood were Ben Elbert Douglas Sr., who served as mayor of Charlotte, and Mary Beth Rowan Friday, mother of University of North Carolina system president William C. Friday.^[1]

Legacy

In 1931, the Greek Orthodox Church of America bought the old Linwood College campus, with plans to open a new college there.^[7] The school's site, now only a few building foundations, is within the boundaries of Crowders Mountain State Park.^[1]

Related Research Articles

Gaston County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 227,943. The county seat is Gastonia. Dallas served as the original county seat from 1846 until 1911.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cramerton, North Carolina</span> Town in North Carolina, United States

Cramerton is a small town in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of Charlotte and located east of Gastonia. The population was 4,165 at the 2010 census. A well-known feature is the Cramer Mountain gated development, featuring homes around an 18-hole golf course at Cramer Mountain Country Club.

Gastonia is the most populous city in and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest satellite city of the Charlotte area, behind Concord. The population was 80,411 in the 2020 census, up from 71,741 in 2010. Gastonia is the 13th-most populous city in North Carolina. It is part of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barber–Scotia College</span> Private HBCU in South Carolina, US

Barber–Scotia College is a private unaccredited historically black college in Concord, North Carolina. It began as a seminary in 1867 before becoming a college in 1916. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).

The 1970 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team was an American football team that represented Wake Forest University during the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. In its second season under head coach Cal Stoll, the team compiled a 6–5 record, finished in first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 5–1 record against conference opponents.

The 1972 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team was an American football team that represented Wake Forest University during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. In their first and only season under head coach Tom Harper, the Demon Deacons compiled a 2–9 record and finished in a tie for last place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

<i>The Gaston Gazette</i> North Carolina-based newspaper

The Gaston Gazette is a daily newspaper based in Gastonia, North Carolina. The newspaper was owned by Freedom Communications until 2012, when Freedom sold its Florida and North Carolina papers to Halifax Media Group. In 2015, Halifax was acquired by New Media Investment Group, which was merged and became Gannett in 2019.

Harold Rudolph Stowe is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Following his college baseball career with the Clemson Tigers, Stowe played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees in 1960.

The Charlotte metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as Metrolina, is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, containing the city of Charlotte. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, Concord, Huntersville, and Rock Hill as well as the large suburban area in the counties surrounding Mecklenburg County, which is at the center of the metro area. Located in the Piedmont, it is the largest metropolitan area in the Carolinas, and the fourth largest in the Southeastern United States. The Charlotte metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States.

The 1973 Clemson Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Clemson University in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. In its first season under head coach Red Parker, the team compiled a 5–6 record, finished third in the ACC, and was outscored by a total of 263 to 231. The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.

The 1968 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. Red Parker served as head coach for the third season. The Bulldogs played as members of the Southern Conference and played home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

The 1970 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. Red Parker served as head coach for the fifth season. The Bulldogs played as members of the Southern Conference and played home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

G. Thompson "Tommy" Brown was the Professor Emeritus of World Christianity at Columbia Theological Seminary, a missionary, author, and the Director of the Division of International Mission for the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS). He spent much of his life in Korea focusing on strengthening the Presbyterian Church there. His daughter is Mary Brown Bullock, who was President of Agnes Scott College and a foundation executive in developing exchange with China.

The 1972 Duke Blue Devils football team was an American football team that represented Duke University as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. In their second year under head coach Mike McGee, the Blue Devils complied an overall record of 5–6, with a conference record of 3–3, and finished fourth in the ACC.

The 1972 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as an independent in the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Paul Dietzel, the Gamecocks compiled a record of 4–7. The team played home games at Williams–Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.

The 1971 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as an independent in the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Paul Dietzel, the Gamecocks compiled a record of 6–5. The team played home games at Carolina Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.

The 1973 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. The Tar Heels were led by seventh-year head coach Bill Dooley and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. They competed as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finishing in sixth.

Leah Gaskin Fitchue, also known as Leah Gaskin White and Leah Gaskin Coles, was an American city official, professor of religious studies and college administrator. She was president of Payne Theological Seminary from 2003 to 2015.

The 1974 Davidson Wildcats football team represented Davidson College as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. Led by first-year head coach Ed Farrell, the Wildcats compiled an overall record of 2–7 with a mark of 0–3 in conference play, placing last out of eight teams in the SoCon.

Chicora College, also called Chicora College for Women, was a Presbyterian women's college in Greenville, South Carolina and Columbia, South Carolina. It operated from 1893 to 1930 when it merged with Queens College in Charlotte, North Carolina.

References

1 2 3 4 5 Reed, Betty Jamerson (2019-11-04). Soldiers in Petticoats: —Appalachian Educators— Sophia Sawyer, Emily Prudden, Martha Berry. WestBow Press. ISBN 978-1-9736-3742-4.
↑ "Contract Secured by a Local Firm". The Charlotte News. 1910-06-16. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-02-20– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Linwood Female College". The Gastonia Gazette. 1910-08-26. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-02-20– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "To Enlarge Linwood; Large Development to be Made". The Gastonia Gazette. 1913-02-18. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-02-20– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Hon. J. D. McCall to Speak at Linwood". The Charlotte News. 1912-05-09. p. 12. Retrieved 2024-02-20– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Opens Sept. 18th; Prospects for Next Annual Session of Linwood College Excellent--The Faculty". The Gastonia Gazette. 1907-09-03. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-02-20– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Greeks Will Open College; School Will Be Operated in Plant of Old Linwood Female College in Gaston". The Charlotte News. 1931-06-04. p. 9. Retrieved 2024-02-20– via Newspapers.com.