Foundation

In 1907, East Carolina was founded as a training school for teachers, with Dr. Robert Wright as its first president; however, education has been a factor in the development of Greenville since the late 1700s. James W. Batten, author of In Retrospect, writes of the origins of local efforts in education beginning with academies like the Pitt Academy. By the late 1800s, educators such as Professor William H. Ragsdale, principal of the Greenville Male Academy (c.1814), and Governor Thomas J. Jarvis were planning formalized public education efforts in the area. The institution they envisioned grew steadily into a major public university. As the campus expanded, buildings and rooms were dedicated in honor of individuals who contributed to its growth. The buildings in this section are examples of early 20th-century architecture on campus. They were designed with practicality to serve the needs of a teacher training school. (Batten 1995)

Photograph of the Male Academy in Scotland Neck, NC, taken circa 1910. This may be either the Vine Hill Male Academy (white students) or the Scotland Neck Male Academy (black students). Date approximated.

Male Academy, Scotland Neck, N.C. 1910. William L. Murphy Collection. 0746-s4-b68-fc-i1823. East Carolina University Digital Collections. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/5427. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025. 

The Forbes-Joyner Schoolhouse was built c. 18905 and used by East Carolina Teachers Training School and Pitt County Schools from 1917-1923 as an elementary school to train teachers. This photograph is from the 1917 Training School Quarterly. 

Joyner Model School. 1917. Visual Media: Black and White Photograph Collection. UA55.01.457. East Carolina University Digital Collections. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/22926. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.