Wake Forest College Birthplace H-75
Posted by: LJParr
N 35° 59.083 W 078° 30.490
17S E 724649 N 3985123
A marker describing the early histoy of Wake Forest College and the Calvin Jones house.
Waymark Code: WM96GT
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 07/06/2010
Views: 10
Located at 450 North Main St in Wake Forest, the maker stands near the Calvin Jones house. The house has been relocated from the college grounds and currently sits on the schools original athletic field, serving as a museum operated by the
Wake Forest College Birthplace Society.
Marker Text:
This simple provincial house was built before 1820. For some years it was the home of Dr. Calvin Jones, a founder of the North Carolina Medical Society, major-general in the War of 1812 and Grand Master of the Masonic Order in North Carolina. He was for 30 years a trustee of the University of North Carolina.
In 1832 Dr. Jones sold his home and plantation at Wake Forest to the Baptist State Convention. On February 3, 1834, Wake Forest Institute, as it was called until 1838, was opened in the building with an enrollment of 16 students. The dwelling house was used as the residence of the first President of the College, Samuel Wait, and for classroom purposes. The carriage house was used as a chapel. The seven “good substantial log cabins” were used as dormitories.
The house, now on its fourth site, was moved from its original location in the center of the campus in 1835 to make way for “The College Building,” and later to a third location on Wingate Street. It is now restored to the 1830 period.
Visit Instructions:Photos of your visit to the marker are required, but PLEASE, no old vacation photos taken just because it was there!
Comments about your visit, interesting nearby areas and any significant information you may have on this waymark are encouraged.
Most of all, enjoy the History that North Carolina has to offer! From the Mountains to the Ocean .. it's all here!