BC after WWII

Following WWII there was renewed sense of growth at Brevard College.  Enrollment rose to record numbers. The increased number of students and improved economic conditions combined to start a much needed and long dreamed of building boom on the campus.

In late 1947 a new cafeteria opened.  1948 saw the construction of a library, an infirmary and a new classroom building for the sciences.

The Mary Frances Stamey Memorial Infirmary was dedicated on July 10, 1948.  It was named in honor of a former student, who had died two years earlier.  Funds donated by her family financed the project.

On April 10, 1948 the new library was dedicated.  Named for benefactor and trustee James Addison Jones it contained 40,000 volumes and could accommodate 120 people.  

The third new building was a wood frame building constructed by the government to temporarily meet the college’s need for a science building.   It was used for physics, chemistry, biology and home economics until the Moore Science Building was constructed in 1961.

Also during the fall of 1948 two double tennis courts were constructed near the veterans housing, allowing the tennis team to hold home matches.

As Brevard College approached the centennial of one of its parent institutions in 1953 various alumni chapters came together to create the Centennial Gateway.  Constructed of brick, the entrance gate is directly across from First United Methodist.  In 1953 it offered easy access to the church from Dunham Hall which was the heart of the campus at the time.

The gateway is 36 feet wide and 14 feet high with an 8 foot wide entryway.  Marble plaques recognize Rutherford College (1853), Weaver College (1872), Brevard Institute (1895) and the merger into Brevard College in 1934.

Much needed new dorms were constructed in the 1950s for both women and men.  Annabel Jones Hall opened in 1953 and was expanded in 1958.  In 1957 a new men’s hall opened replacing the veterans’ housing.

This aerial photograph of Brevard College was taken in the early 1960s.  It shows Boshamer Gym and the Moore Science Building constructed in the 1960s.  Through the center of photograph are Annabel Jones Hall, Stamey Infirmary,
the first James Addison Jones Library (across from Stamey), the Campus Center building,
the old Dunham Hall, Green Hall and Taylor.

The following year, 1958, the long awaited Campus Center Building was completed.  It included a cafeteria and kitchen, student and faculty lounges, the campus post office, an auditorium that could seat over 500 and a book store.  The book store also featured a soda fountain.

The 1960s and early 1970s saw continued growth on the college campus.  Next week’s Picturing the Past will finish up the series of articles on Brevard College with a look at the McLarty era.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library.  Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs.  For more information, comments or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-3151 x242.