Mary Fisher Floyd Archives and Special Collections: Oberlin Home and School Collection

Guide to the Oberlin Home and School Collection 1897-1991

Collection Number Mss 19982

G.A. Pfeiffer Library, Mary Fisher Floyd Archives & Special Collections

Descriptive Summary

Creator

Pfeiffer University

Title

Oberlin Home and School Collection

Call Number

Mss 19982

Extent

1 archival box, .25 linear feet

Location

For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Pfeiffer University Archivist.

Information for Users

Restrictions to Access

This collection has restrictions to access. Please contact the Pfeiffer University Archivist for more information.

Acquisitions Information

The materials of the Oberlin Home and School Collection were acquired through donations by former students of the school. Other materials were created by Pfeiffer faculty researching the history of the school. The collection is not yet closed so that new items may be added as acquired.

Provenance

This is an artificial collection which was originally housed within the subject-based system developed by Dr. Bernard Russell. Most materials are of unknown provenance.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], Oberlin Home and School Collection, Mary Fisher Floyd Archives, Pfeiffer University, Misenheimer , North Carolina.

Copyright Notice

Pfeiffer University owns copyright to this collection. Individuals obtaining materials from the Pfeiffer University Archives are responsible for using the works in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.

Historical Note

Pfeiffer University originated from one of at least fifteen home schools founded by Miss Emily C. Prudden between circa 1885 and 1909. Pfeiffer developed from the Oberlin Home and School, reportedly named in memory of John Oberlin, whose service as a minister and social pioneer in the rural valleys of Alsace, France, inspired Miss Prudden's own interests. The Oberlin Home and School began at Lick Mountain, near Hudson in Caldwell County, North Carolina. In 1903 the Woman's Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church agreed to assume responsibility for the Oberlin property. Following the transfer of 37 acres and two buildings on June 8, 1903, the Oberlin School was renamed the Ebenezer Mitchell Home and School in memory of the stepson of Mrs. Mary A. Mitchell of Dayton, Ohio, whose generosity facilitated completion of improvements to the property. A fire on January 14, 1908 led to a relocation of Mitchell Home and School. The structure which housed faculty and students was destroyed and the school moved to temporary quarters in nearby Lenoir. These quarters, however, soon proved inadequate. The Mitchell Home and School then moved to Misenheimer in Stanly County, North Carolina, in February of 1910, with the acquisition of the property on with Pfeiffer University now resides.

(borrowed heavily from History of Pfeiffer found in the college catalog)