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

Weaver College

Photographed by Mike Stroud, May 19, 2012

1. Weaver College Marker

Inscription. Founded as Weaverville College, 1873; Methodist, coeducational. In 1934 merged with Rutherford to form Brevard College. Campus was one block W.

Erected 1992 by Division of Archives and History. (Marker Number P-74.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: 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 1873.

Location. 35° 41.464′ N, 82° 33.907′ W. Marker is in Weaverville, North Carolina, in Buncombe County. It is at the intersection of Merrimon Avenue (Business U.S. 19) and Brown Street, on the right when traveling south on Merrimon Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 41 Merrimon Avenue, Weaverville NC 28787, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Mountains and in Greater Asheville.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

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Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Weaverville United Methodist Church (approx. 0.6 miles away); Zebulon B. Vance (approx. 0.9 miles away); Brothers In Service (approx. 3.9 miles away); David L. Swain (approx. 4.3 miles away); Francis Asbury (approx. 4.3 miles away); Joseph Lane (approx. 4.3 miles away); Bingham School (approx. 4.9 miles away); Battle of Asheville (approx. 5.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Weaverville.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Zebulon B. Vance (was approx. 0.9 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Regarding Weaver College. Weaverville College was chartered in 1873 to offer four years of college work. Prior to that time an academy, operated by the local Sons of Temperance beginning in 1851, stood on the site. Montreville Weaver contributed

Weaver College Marker, looking south along Merrimon Avenue image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, May 19, 2012

2. Weaver College Marker, looking south along Merrimon Avenue

the land on which the first buildings were situated. Through gifts and purchases the campus grew to fifty-five acres. Initially the college was governed by a local board of trustees independent of any denomination. The school’s first president was Dr. James A. Regan. Only in 1883 was the property deeded to the Methodist Episcopal Church and the school placed under the supervision of the Western North Carolina Conference.

In 1912 the school was renamed Weaver College and the change made from four-year to junior college status. Preparatory classes continued to be offered. The college from the outset was coeducational. Student activities revolved around literary societies and the sports programs. Graduates of Weaver include North Carolina Chief Justice Walter H. Stacy, Congressman Zeb Weaver, and University of North Carolina Professor Hugh T. Lefler.

The Western North Carolina Conference decided in 1933 to merge Weaver College and Rutherford College to create a single coeducational Methodist junior college on the grounds of the old Brevard Institute. In the fall of 1934 thirty Weaver students and five faculty members moved to Brevard

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College. Today Brevard continues to preserve the earlier institutions through the Weaver Room of the library and plans for a Weaver College Bell Tower. In Weaverville three structures remain from the original campus, the 1874 Administration Building, now used as a Masonic Temple, and two dormitories.(North Carolina Office of Archives & History — Department of Cultural Resources)

Also see . . . Dry Ridge: Some of it's History, Some of It's People. 1962 book by Nell Pickens on Amazon.com. The magnificent old buildings which once housed Weaver College are now mostly history. Only one or two are left standing on the beautiful property which was at one time a thriving college campus. You’ll find more in this book. (Submitted on October 3, 2012, by Virginia Gill Gambill of Hendersonville, North Carolina.) This website may earn income if you use this link to make a purchase on Amazon.com.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,132 times since then and 22 times this year. Last updated on February 10, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 1, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.