Barton College
Wilson, Wilson County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Barton College. Founded in 1902 by the Christian Church of N.C. as Atlantic Christian College. Renamed 1990 for a church founder, Barton W. Stone.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
Founded in 1902 by the Christian Church of North Carolina as Atlantic Christian College, this Wilson institution grew from the era's wave of church-affiliated colleges that brought higher education to the rural South. In 1990 it was renamed Barton College to honor Barton W. Stone, a founding figure of the denomination. The campus remains a center of learning in eastern North Carolina today.
Why it matters
Small denominational colleges like this one democratized access to higher education across the American South at the turn of the twentieth century, long before public university systems reached most towns.
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Related people
- Β· Barton W. Stone
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Charles Lee Coon
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