Due West in Abbeville County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Rev. J.I. Bonner Monument
Photographed By Brian Scott, January 17, 2009
1. Rev. J.I. Bonner Monument -
Northeast Side
Northeast Side
Southwest Side:
of the
Due West Female College
and for near twenty two years
its
President
1859-1881
Northeast Side:
By the Alumnae and
affectionately inscribed
to the Memory of
Rev. J.I. Bonner D.D.
Erected by Due West Female College Alumnae.
Topics. This historical marker and monument is listed in these topic lists: Education • Women.
Location. 34° 19.983′ N, 82° 23.167′ W. Marker is in Due West, South Carolina, in Abbeville County. Marker is on North Main Street (State Highway 184). The monument is located in front of Bonner Hall on the campus of Erskine College, southeast of Due West ARP Church. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Due West SC 29639, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Angela Marlow Newton (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Due West (about 700 feet away); Erskine College (approx. ¼ mile away); Abbeville County (approx. ¼ mile away); Bryson College Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); William Moffatt Grier (approx.
this page online
Also see . . .
1. Erskine College. A Christian liberal arts college which is a part of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian tradition. (Submitted on February 2, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
2. Erskine College. Erskine College is a four year, Christian liberal arts college located in Due West, South Carolina. (Submitted on February 2, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
3. Erskine College-Due West Historic District. The Erskine College-Due West Historic District, located in the small town of Due West in Abbeville County, South Carolina, consists of eighty-eight properties, which as a unit illustrate the development of the village and Erskine College from ca. 1840 to 1930. (Submitted on February 2, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
4. Due West Female College. Due West Female College was
Photographed By Brian Scott, January 17, 2009
2. Rev. J.I. Bonner Monument Marker -
Southwest Side
Southwest Side
Additional commentary.
1. Oliver Young Bonner
Son of Rev. J.I. Bonner D.D. Was born In Due West, South Carolina, on November 15, 1863. His father was the founder of Due West Female College, and its president for twenty years. He was also editor of the "Associated Reform Presbyterian." The subject of this sketch graduated at Erskine College, in 1883. Spent two years in Erskine Theological Seminary, and graduated at Union Theological Seminary, New York. He was pastor of churches for four years in Lineshe County, Tennessee, and since 1891 has supplied the Associate Reform Presbyterian Church of Due West, South Carolina. He is also one of the editors of the "Associate Reform Presbyterian." He married Miss Belle H. Neel, on November 15, 1892. (Source: "Men of the Time - Sketches of Living Notables", A Biographical Encyclopedia of Contemporaneous South Carolina Leaders, by J.C. Garlington (1902), pg 30-40.)
— Submitted February 2, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 
Photographed By Brian Scott, January 17, 2009
3. Rev. J.I. Bonner Monument Marker -
Northeast Side
Northeast Side
2. First 50 Years of Due West Female College
Two ministers of the Associated Reformed Presbyterian Church, Rev. John I. Bonner and Rev. Jonathan Galloway, conceived the idea of a school in which young women should have equal education advantages with young men. In a conference between these two ministers and Rev. J.C. Grier in 1859 the first plans were proposed. This board took over a girl's academy, previously directed by Miss Elizabeth McQuerns, and the college was opened in the academy building January 8, 1860, with Rev. J.I. Bonner as the first president of the school. The cornerstone of the first college building was laid August 7, 1860, and the first class, five in number, graduated in 1861. Doctor Bonner was president of the Due West Female College, which it was originally called, until his death April 29, 1881...Succeeding Doctor Bonner in the presidency came John P. Kennedy, who had been a professor in the college since 1866 and who remained as president until April 1887, and faithfully carried on the ideals and plans of his predecessor. For eight years Mrs. L.M. Bonner was principal, and in June 1895, Rev. C.E. Todd was elected president, to be succeeded by Rev. James Boyce in 1899. Doctor Boyce was president for ten years, and during his administration the ownership and control of the college was transferred from a joint
Photographed By Brian Scott, January 17, 2009
4. Rev. J.I. Bonner Monument -
Southwest Side
Carnegie Hall Dormitory in the Rear
Southwest Side
Carnegie Hall Dormitory in the Rear
— Submitted February 2, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
Photographed By Brian Scott, January 17, 2009
5. Rev. J.I. Bonner Monument -
Northwest Side
Bonner Hall Dormitory in the Rear
Northwest Side
Bonner Hall Dormitory in the Rear
Credits. This page was last revised on October 12, 2020. It was originally submitted on February 2, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,830 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on February 2, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
