Swannanoa in Buncombe County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Warren Wilson College

Photographed By Mike Stroud, May 19, 2012

1. Warren Wilson College Marker

Inscription. Founded in 1894 by the Presbyterian Church as Asheville Farm School. A four-year college since 1966. 1½ mi. E.

Erected 2005 by North Carolina Office of Archives and History. (Marker Number P-69.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Churches & Religion • Education. In addition, it is included in the North Carolina Division of Archives and History series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1894.

Location. 35° 35.573′ N, 82° 26.153′ W. Marker is in Swannanoa, North Carolina, in Buncombe County. Marker is on Tunnel Road (U.S. 70) near Warren Wilson Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Swannanoa NC 28778, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Forster A. Sondley (approx. 3.6 miles away); Rattlesnake Lodge (approx. 5.3 miles away); Lee's School (approx. 5.4 miles away); Private George Avery (approx. 5.8 miles away); Black Mountain College (approx. 5.9 miles away); Geodesic Domes (approx. 6.2 miles away); Lillian Exum Clement Stafford (approx. 6.2 miles away); The County of Buncombe (approx. 6.3 miles away).

Regarding Warren Wilson College.

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Asheville Farm School, the primary forerunner of Warren Wilson College, was established as a mission school by the Northern Branch of the Presbyterian Church. The site selected was a 420-acre farm in the Swannanoa Valley about ten miles east of Asheville. By combining farm work with education, the school, which opened on November 30,1894, aimed to provide new opportunities for young men in the mountains.
The most significant change in the school’s development came in 1942, when the Asheville Farm School combined with the Dorland-Bell School, a Presbyterian institution for young women in Hot Springs. Junior college classes were added and the new school was named for Warren H. Wilson, former Secretary of Rural Church Work for the church’s Board of National Missions. Arthur M. Bannerman served as Warren Wilson College president from 1942 to 1971.
Lower grades gradually were dropped; the last high school class graduated in 1957. In 1966 Warren Wilson
became an accredited, four-year, liberal arts college offering the bachelor of arts degree. In 1973 the school’s ties with the Presbyterian’s Board of National Missions were severed. Presently the school receives support from foundations and individual churches and operates under an independent board of trustees. Enrollment is around 450 students; all but a few live on campus. True to its origins, the school requires

Warren Wilson College Marker, looking east along Tunnel Road (US 70) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mike Stroud, May 19, 2012

2. Warren Wilson College Marker, looking east along Tunnel Road (US 70)

that every student, in addition to meeting his classes, contribute three hours of labor each day to the college in return for room and board.
(North Carolina Dept. of Cultural Resources)

Also see . . . Warren Wilson College History. Warren Wilson College: Decade by Decade.....the Asheville Farm School officially opened with 25 boys attending and a professional staff of three people. (Submitted on July 10, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)

Warren Wilson College Marker, looking west image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mike Stroud, May 19, 2012

3. Warren Wilson College Marker, looking west

Credits. This page was last revised on June 22, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 8, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 823 times since then and 67 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 10, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.