Former Colleges of Ayden
Ayden, Pitt County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Former Colleges. Two church-affiliated schools were once located in Ayden. Carolina Christian College, founded by Disciples of Christ and a predecessor of Barton College in Wilson, operated 4/10 mile northeast from 1893 to 1903. Free Will Baptists in 1896 founded Ayden Seminary 4/10 mile southeast. Later known as Eureka College, it closed in 1929. In 1951 the Free Will Baptists established Mount Olive College in Mount Olive.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
The small town of Ayden once hosted two church-affiliated schools. Carolina Christian College, founded by the Disciples of Christ, operated from 1893 to 1903 and was a predecessor of today's Barton College in Wilson. Nearby, Free Will Baptists founded Ayden Seminary in 1896; later renamed Eureka College, it closed in 1929, and in 1951 the denomination established Mount Olive College instead.
Why it matters
The rise and fall of these little colleges traces how American denominations planted, merged, and relocated schools across the rural South in a constant effort to sustain higher education.
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Related events
- · Carolina Christian College
- · Ayden Seminary
- · Eureka College
Themes & tags
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