Davidson in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Original Chapel of Davidson College

Photographed by Mark Parker, May 9, 2026

1. Original Chapel of Davidson College Marker

Inscription.
On this site stood the original chapel of Davidson College completed in 1838

President John Bunyan Shearer remodeled the old chapel in 1903 and renamed it as indicated on the marble tablets placed at its doorway and removed for permanent preservation here

Shearer Hall was removed to make way for the present structure The John R. Cunningham Music and Fine Arts Building completed in 1961.

Erected by Davidson College.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1938.

Location. 35° 30.071′ N, 80° 50.819′ W. Marker is in Davidson, North Carolina, in Mecklenburg County. It can be reached from North Main Street (U.S. 115) south of Griffith Street, on the left when traveling south. The marker is affixed to right of the main entrance on the south side of Cunningham Theatre Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 310 N Main St, Davidson NC 28036, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont

and in Greater Charlotte.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once 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 walking distance of this marker: With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited, 2025 (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited, 2025

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(within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited, 2025 (within shouting distance of this marker); Davidson College War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Davidson Alumni World War II Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Davidson College (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Helper Hotel (about 400 feet away); Davidson Veterans Monument (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Davidson.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Davidson College (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Original Chapel of Davidson College Marker to the right of the main entrance image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, May 9, 2026

2. Original Chapel of Davidson College Marker to the right of the main entrance

Cunningham Theatre Center facade image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, May 9, 2026

3. Cunningham Theatre Center facade

Credits. This page was last revised on May 14, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 10, 2026, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 10, 2026, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.