RUTHERFORD COLLEGE -- The town was named for a college located there a long time ago, it stood in the area where the Valdese General Hospital is now. Back then, the hospital clinic was in one of the college dormatories.
Until 1850, the Owl Hollow School was operated by Reverend Basil Gaither Jones, at that time, Reverand R.L. Abernathy, who was a preacherr, teacher and a Lincol County native, livving in Lenoir, N.C. asked to take over the school. In 1853, the school expanded and renamed Rutherford Academy because of the financial help given by John T. Rutherford. He was the richest man in Burke County.
The school was forced to close when the Civil War started. R.L. Abernethy came back to the school in 1868 and the school was reopened as Rutherford Seminary. It was a four-year college, renamed 4 Rutherford College 4 years later .
The college burned in 1891, the First Baptist Church is located there now. The college was built again in 1893 where the Valdese General Hospital is now. Because of the depression, school was forced to merge Weaver College in Buncombe County and Brevard Institute, becoming Brevard College, which still operates in March 1933.
In 1933, the town was dissolved and was reinccorporated on June 1, 1977.
Wow, that's quite a story! I hoe you enjoyed today's Throw-Back Thursday!
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