Buies Creek in Harnett County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Campbell University

Photographed By Robert Cole, June 6, 2010

1. Campbell University Marker

Inscription. Baptist. Founded in 1887 by James A. Campbell as Buie's Creek Academy. A university since 1979.

Erected 1990 by NC Divison of Archives and History. (Marker Number H-62.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: 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 1887.

Location. 35° 24.289′ N, 78° 44.395′ W. Marker is in Buies Creek, North Carolina, in Harnett County. Marker is at the intersection of East Cornelius Harnett Boulevard (U.S. 421) and Harmon Road, on the right when traveling west on East Cornelius Harnett Boulevard. Marker is located on north side of Hwy 421. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5251 US 421, Buies Creek NC 27506, 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. Campbell House (approx. 0.7 miles away); Paul Eliot Green (approx. ¾ mile away); Alton Stewart (approx. 3.8 miles away); Cornelius Harnett (approx. 4 miles away); Harnett County Veterans Memorial (approx. 4.1 miles away); Alexander Lillington (approx. 4.3 miles away); Robert B. Morgan (approx. 4.3 miles away); Smiley's Falls (approx. 7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Buies Creek.

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Also see . . .
1. Campbell University Homepage. (Submitted on June 6, 2010, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)
2. Wikipedia: Campbell University. (Submitted on June 6, 2010, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)

Additional commentary.
1. Campbell University
Campbell University, a Baptist institution of higher learning, was founded as Buies Creek Academy on January 5, 1887, by James Archibald Campbell, a local Baptist minister and graduate of Wake Forest College. The original enrollment was only twenty-one male students, but by 1898 the academy had three buildings and over sixty pupils. Two years later, on Dec. 23, 1900, a fire consumed every wooden campus building with the exception of a large tabernacle.

A possibly apocryphal story associated with the fire concerns the origin of the current university’s rather unusual mascot, the Fighting Camel. When local entrepreneur Zachary Taylor Kivett found Campbell moping after the conflagration, he asked “Why are you in bed? I thought Campbells had humps on them.” Kivett pledged on the spot to build a new brick building, which was completed in 1903 and was named for him. It is the oldest building on the present campus.

Playwright Paul Green studied at

Campbell University image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Robert Cole, June 6, 2010

2. Campbell University

Buies Creek Academy. In 1926, the school became a junior college and its name changed to Campbell College in honor of its founder. Thirty-five years later the school was promoted to a senior college, and in 1979 received its university status. Three years prior to officially becoming a university, the college opened Campbell School of Law. By the early 2000s the school’s enrollment consisted of nearly 10,000 students including those at extension campuses.

Notable alumni include:
(1) Paul Green 1914 recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama
(2) Norman Adrian Wiggins 1948 former president and chancellor of the university
(3) John D. Loudermilk 1957 American singer and songwriter
(4) Jim Perry 1959 former Major League Baseball pitcher
(5) Gaylord Perry 1960 inductee of the Baseball Hall of Fame
(6) Cal Koonce 1961 former Major League Baseball pitcher and also Campbell's all-time winningest baseball coach
(7) Bob Etheridge 1965 member of the U.S. House of Representatives, North Carolina, 2nd District
(8) George Lehmann professional basketball player
(9) John Tyson 1979 (School of Law) Judge, North Carolina Court of Appeals
(10) Fred Whitfield 1980 president and chief operating officer of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats
(11) Elaine Marshall 1981 (School of Law) North Carolina Secretary of State
(12) Ann Marie Calabria

D. Rich Memorial Building at Campbell University image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Naytchrboy (WP User), June 5, 2007

3. D. Rich Memorial Building at Campbell University

This building was built in 1923.

1983 (School of Law) Judge, North Carolina Court of Appeals
(13) Emily S. James 2001 2 time Olympian in Archery

Sources:
(1) J. Winston Pearce, Campbell College: Big Miracle at Little Buies Creek (1985)
(2) Norman A. Wiggins, Campbell University: A Thanksgiving, Mandate, and Challenge (1993)
(3) William S. Powell, Higher Education in North Carolina (1964)
(4) William S. Powell, ed., Encyclopedia of North Carolina (2006)

— Submitted June 12, 2010, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Additional keywords. College

Credits. This page was last revised on April 6, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 6, 2010, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,255 times since then and 36 times this year. Last updated on April 5, 2023, by Michael Buckner of Durham, North Carolina. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 6, 2010, by Cleo Robertson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.