Converse College

By Jeffrey R. Willis

In the foothills of South Carolina lies the beautiful, historic college known as Converse. It was founded near the end of the Victorian Age by several of Spartanburg's leading professionals who believed that "the well-being of any country depends much upon the culture of her women." Their vision of providing higher education to women has now been carried into a second century and has allowed Converse to touch the lives of thousands of people. Converse College is a pictorial tribute that honors one of the leading women's institutions in the Southeast. The volume is arranged in chronological order and offers varied views of campus architecture as well as individuals who have walked its grounds over the past 112 years. Vintage photographs show Wilson Hall as it first appeared before the fire of 1892 and how it reemerged afterwards; they show college founders, leaders, and teachers-those who contributed to the growth of the school and its students. Perhaps most importantly, the images within these pages celebrate the students of Converse College, not only by presenting their faces, but also by showcasing photographs taken by the students themselves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Nov 8, 2001
• ISBN: 9781439612231

Jeffrey R. Willis

Author Jeffrey R. Willis has created, in word and image, an insightful history, sharing Spartanburg�s unique story and traditions. A treasure of visual history, Spartanburg, South Carolina will appeal to all readers, whether a longtime native, a newcomer to the region, or simply a visitor to the city famous for historic mills and New South industry.

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assistance.

INTRODUCTION

This pictorial history follows a chronological theme rather than a topical approach. It is hoped that the reader, while turning through its pages, will be able to visually trace the evolution of this historic institution and the many changes its campus and students have undergone over a period of 112 years. Every decade of the college’s existence is represented. Founded in 1889 to educate young ladies, Converse today strives to prepare young women for careers and to equip them to face a world that presents far different challenges than those of the 1890s.

Every effort was made to identify as many photographs as possible; from these were chosen a few hundred images that could be accommodated within a format designed to produce an easily digestible and affordable volume. Identifying approximately 3,000 photographs was probably the most time-consuming part of the process. Then came the difficult task of deciding which to include and (still worse) which to leave out. An effort has been made to fairly and equitably chronicle all aspects of the college’s life and development. Basically, it has been necessary to work with the available photographs and to try to make them fit into a coherent narrative of the history of Converse College.

One goal of the project has been to document campus buildings that are no longer standing and those that have changed in appearance and function. However, the heart of the institution has not been the buildings, but the human beings who have led, taught, studied, cleaned, and repaired within its gates. Space has been allotted for them. It has not been possible to include everyone who deserves inclusion. The best that could be done was to select representatives from the time period dealt with in each chapter. Once again, the selection was governed by the images that were available. Those who are currently learning and teaching will earn a place for themselves in subsequent volumes.

It is hoped that the reader will find the captions informative and useful, and that the book will serve as a quick reference source. Naturally, space limited the amount of information that could be included. Alumnae may find this volume to be a happy, and sometimes poignant, journey back to their student days. Current and future students will discover in these pages aspects of their college’s past which they would otherwise never see or know about. It is hoped that all will enjoy the effort.

FOUNDER’S MONUMENT. When Edgar Converse died in 1899, he was buried in front of Main Hall, as he had requested. Later Helen Converse had her husband’s body re-interred in nearby Oakwood Cemetery. The monument above was placed just inside the main entrance to the college.

One

FOUNDING AND EARLY YEARS

1889–1920

In the 1880s and 1890s, the construction of large textile mills established Spartanburg as a major textile center. An important connection would develop between these textile mills and the expansion of educational opportunities in the community. As the future of Spartanburg grew brighter, some of its citizens became concerned over the lack of educational opportunities for young women.

In 1855, the Spartanburg Female College was founded, as a joint effort of the South Carolina Methodist Conference and citizens of Spartanburg. The school, however, did not prosper and closed in 1872. The same leaders who had spearheaded Spartanburg’s industrial expansion in the 1880s then stepped forward and used their talents and resources to found a college for young women. A member of this group was a 33-year-old lawyer, Henry Edmund Ravenel. He invited other town leaders to a meeting at his law office on Magnolia Street on March 22, 1889. At this meeting the decision was made to raise funds to found a college for women. A week later, the new institution was named Converse College in honor of Dexter Edgar Converse, who was a leading textile executive and a major contributor.

THE ORIGINAL BUILDINGS. In 1889, the trustees of the new college purchased the St. John’s College property from the Episcopal Diocese. The site had been the location of several attempts to establish an Episcopal school, first for boys and later a theological seminary. On the property was a chapel and two completed wings of a proposed main building. The college trustees completed Main Hall and erected an annex (shown on the left in this view), which was later renamed Pell Hall. The original entrance of Main Hall lacked a porte-cochere.

DEXTER EDGAR CONVERSE. Edgar Converse was born in 1829 in Swanton, Vermont, into a family that was already involved in woolen manufacture. His education was not extensive, but he grew up with a thorough knowledge of machinery and management of a mill. Realizing the potential for developing textile manufacturing in the southeast, he migrated south in 1854 to work for a cotton mill in Lincolnton, North Carolina. In 1855, he was attracted to a job at the Bivingsville Cotton Factory near Spartanburg, where he was hired as a superintendent. In 1870, he bought the mill and changed the name to D.E. Converse & Company. In 1882, Converse established Clifton Manufacturing Company, which grew to include three of the largest textile mills in the South.

HELEN TWICHELL CONVERSE. After being hired at the Bivingsville mill, 27-year-old Edgar Converse traveled back to New England, in 1856, to seek a bride. His choice fell on his 17-year-old first cousin, Helen Antoinette Twichell. She was the perfect wife for a young man on the rise. She was better educated than her husband and of a sociable nature.