Greenbrier College was a

women's college Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women. Some women's colleges admit male st ...

Lewisburg, West Virginia Lewisburg is a city in and the county seat of Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,930 at the 2020 census. History Lewisburg is named after Andrew Lewis (American general), Andrew Lewis. In 1751 Lewis, as a youn ...

in the United States from 1812 to 1972. It started as Lewisburg Academy and when the school closed during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, it reopened in 1875 it split into two schools: the Greenbrier College for Women and the

Greenbrier Military School The Greenbrier Military School was a boys-only, private, military, boarding high school and Junior College, located in Lewisburg, West Virginia. The school was founded in 1812 and closed in 1972, when the campus was converted into the West Virgi ...

. The Greenbrier College also went by the Lewisburg Female Institute and Lewisburg Female Seminary.

History

Greenbrier College started as the Lewisburg Academy. Lewisburg Academy was established by Reverend John McElhenney in 1812 as the first school in

Greenbrier County, West Virginia Greenbrier County () is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,977. Its county seat is Lewisburg. The county was formed in 1778 from Botetourt and Montgomery Counties in Virginia. History P ...

. The school closed during the American Civil War. When the school, reopened in 1875 it split into two schools: the Greenbrier College for Women and the

. Much of the school burned down in 1901. It was rebuilt in 1902. The school again burned in 1921. This is a view up close of the main building of the former Greenbrier College

This is a view up close of the main building of the former Greenbrier College

List of known presidents

*John McElhenney (1812-) *Dr. Matthew Lyle Lacy (1882-) *Reverend John C. Brown (-1892) *Rev. Robert L. Telford (1892–1911) *Robert C. Sommerville (1911–1916) *Robert H. Adams (1916–1919) *Dora T. M. Biggs (1919–1920) *John I. Armstrong (1920–1924) *J. Marian Moore (1924–1925) *French W. Thompson (1925–1952) *Ralph Murray (1952–1954) *John F. Montgomery (1954–1973) Telford, Armstrong, Thompson, and Murray all lived in the John A. North House when they served as presidents. Carnegie Hall was built as the music hall and department for the women's college with support from

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

. Many notable people, including

Helen F. Holt Helen Louise Froelich Holt (August 16, 1913 – July 12, 2015) was an American scientist, educator, and politician. She served as the Secretary of State of West Virginia from 1957 to 1959 and also served in the West Virginia House of Delegates fr ...

, taught at the school. The school shut down in 1972 and sold it to the West Virginia State Department of Mental Health and became the Greenbrier Center. The North House museum was given to the Greenbrier Historical Society forming the Greenbrier Historical Society. Carnegie Hall, Inc. was formed in 1983 to save the building from destruction and continues to serve the community. The main school buildings eventually became the New River Community and Technical College.

References

{{reflist Former women's universities and colleges in the United States Defunct universities and colleges in West Virginia Lewisburg, West Virginia