19th Century Davidson Buildings

Davidson College: Finding Its Place

Sloop Family Table in the Rare Book Room in the Little Library on which the documentation for Davidson College began. 

In 1835, once the Presbytery of Concord decided to create an educational institution “that may be accessible to all classes of the community,“ the next decision was to find the best location for this Manual Labor School.  The initial instruction to the committee choosing the site was to find a location “within fifteen miles of Beatties Ford on the Eastern side of the Catawba River”.  Given these geographic boundaries, the committee was unable to locate a satisfactory site.  Instead, a new committee was formed (membership of the original committee and this later committee included William Lee Davidson and R.H. Morrison) to negotiate with William Lee Davidson for two tracts of land in Mecklenburg County, “unless in their opinion they can make a more judicious purchase.”  The committee recommended and the Presbytery of Concord contracted to purchase those two tracts of land from Davidson, the Jetton Tract of 269 acres and the Linn Tract of 200 acres (total cost $1520).

The Manual Labor School now had a location and a new name, Davidson College, and it began in 1837.  It was more than four decades before the surrounding town incorporated as Davidson College (1879).  Before that time, the College leased its land to businesses and served as the town government.  In 1891, the town changed its name to Davidson.

The Souther Citizen Article

Minutes of Concord Presbytery Oct. 1835 - Building Plan

The Building Committee of Davidson College made a report through Rev’d John Williamson which was accepted and adopted, – an abstract of which is as follows viz “Oct 8th 1835 The committee of Building Location – Report to Presbytery that they have contracted for the construction of eight Brick Buildings viz
 One large two story building 40 feet by 50
1 do do do 20 feet by 66
1 do do do 22 feet by 32
3 Blocks of Buildings one story high 18 feet by 66
1 Small building 18 feet by 18 – 15 feet high
1 do do 12 feet by 12 – 12 feet high
all of which are to be on clock foundations, covered with Tin pointed and finished complete.
For which they have agreed to finish the Brick and pay to Messrs. S. J, Lemly & H. Owen the contractors, the sum of ten thousand two hundred and fifty dollars. viz $3,000 in March 1836 – $3,000 in March 1837 and $4,250 in March 1838.
Resolved that Mr Maxwell Chambers of Salisbury be and he hereby is appointed a member of the Building committee
Resolved that the building committee be empowered to purchase any tract or tracts of land contiguous to the site of Davidson College, the possession of which the committee may deem important to the interest of the Institution.