N.C.) Trinity College (Randolph County

Trinity College in Randolph County, North Carolina, started in 1838 as Brown’s Schoolhouse, a small community school founded by Methodist and Quaker families. Over time it became Union Institute, then Normal College, and finally Trinity College, reflecting its steady growth from a local academy into a more ambitious institution.

One of the central figures in that story was Braxton Craven, who took on a leading role while still a young teacher and went on to guide the school for much of the 19th century. Sources describe him as a teacher, Methodist minister, and longtime president whose persistence helped sustain the college through difficult financial years and the disruptions of the Civil War.

In 1892, Trinity College moved from Randolph County to Durham. A few decades later, in 1924, the university was renamed Duke University, making Trinity College an important early chapter in the history of one of North Carolina’s best-known institutions.