Catawba College
Salisbury, Rowan County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Catawba College. Coeducational, liberal arts. Affiliated with Evangelical & Reformed Church. Opened at Newton, 1851. Moved here, 1925, and enlarged.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
Catawba College opened at Newton, North Carolina, in 1851 as a coeducational, liberal-arts school affiliated with the German Reformed (later Evangelical and Reformed) Church. In 1925 it relocated to Salisbury and expanded, growing into the institution that stands today. Its early commitment to educating both women and men was notable for an antebellum Southern school.
Why it matters
Catawba's long history traces the enduring role of church-founded colleges in bringing higher education to small-town America.
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Themes & tags
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