History of East Carolina University facts for kids
East Carolina University (ECU) started a long time ago, in 1901. People from Wilson went to Raleigh to ask the state government for a new college. They wanted a "Normal College" in Eastern North Carolina, which was a school to train teachers. They hoped to build it in Wilson. But their idea was turned down. The government didn't want to take money from another teacher training school that already existed.
Then, in 1905, people from Elizabeth City also tried to get a teacher training school. They failed too. Finally, on March 8, 1907, a state senator named James Leonidas Fleming helped make it happen. The state government passed a law to create a new school. This law said there would be a "teachers' training school for the training of young white men and women." It would be called the East Carolina Teachers' Training School. The state gave $15,000 to build the school and $5,000 each year to run it. A group of leaders, called the Board of Trustees, was chosen on March 15, 1907. Thomas Jordan Jarvis became their leader.
Finding a Home for the School
Many towns in Eastern North Carolina wanted the new school. Eight cities offered different things to try and get it. Here's what some of them offered:
- Washington offered $75,000 and a choice of two large pieces of land.
- Elizabeth City offered $62,500 and a smaller piece of land.
- Kinston offered $25,000, free water and electricity for 10 years, and land.
- New Bern offered $25,000 and land.
- Rocky Mount offered $25,000 and land.
- Tarboro offered $30,000, free utilities for 10 years, and a choice of two pieces of land.
- Edenton offered $25,000 and land.
- Greenville offered $100,000, minus the cost of land and election fees.
Greenville worked hard to get the school. A man named Haywood Dail promised Thomas Jarvis that Greenville would vote to support the school. Dail even made sure the voting slips were small and only had "For Bond Issue" and "Against Bond Issue" on them. He then chewed up the "Against Bond Issue" slips to help the vote pass! The vote passed by 352 votes.
The North Carolina State Board of Education visited all eight cities in June 1907. On June 10, they voted on where the school would be. After a few votes, Greenville won with four votes, while Kinston had two. One of the first jobs for the Board of Trustees was to pick the school's president. Robert Herring Wright was chosen on June 11, 1907. He quickly started hiring teachers. When the school opened, it had 10 teachers. The first student to officially sign up was Pattie Simmons Dowell on October 5, 1909.
Early Days: 1909-1921
When classes began in 1909, the East Carolina Teachers' Training School (ECTTS) had six buildings. These included two dorms (Jarvis and Wilson), an Administration Building, a Power Plant, a place for sick students (Infirmary), and a dining hall (Refectory). Students who promised to teach for two years could attend for free. Others paid $45.
On the first day, 104 women and 19 men joined the 11 teachers. The school offered a two-year program to train teachers. The students voted for the school colors, choosing Old Gold and Royal Purple. On June 11, 1911, 16 students became the first graduating class from East Carolina.
In 1912, the school started its Athletic League. The first sports were basketball, tennis, and cross-country walking. This was the beginning of the school's sports department. Students also created their first Student Self-Government Association. The school grew very quickly.
A special student named Mattie Virginia Cox Thornton was the very first student in line at East Carolina University in 1908. She traveled by wagon, pulled by a mule, from Kinston to Greenville on dirt roads just to be the first to enroll. Mrs. Thornton became a teacher and taught for many years.
East Carolina Teachers College
In December 1921, the East Carolina Teachers' Training School changed its name to "East Carolina Teachers College." This new name showed that the school now offered four-year degrees. It was still focused on training teachers.
