The History Section - What's in a Name? The Lenoir-Rhyne Namesake

What's in a Name? 

The Lenoir-Rhyne Namesake 

If you've wondered where, or from whom, Lenoir-Rhyne University got its name, 

keep reading and wonder no more.

Who put the "Lenoir" in Lenoir-Rhyne?

His name was Walter Waightstill Lenoir. He was born on the 13th of March, 1823 in Fort Defiance, which is now in Caldwell County, North Carolina. His grandfather, William Lenoir, was a General in the Revolutionary War. Walter Lenoir graduated from The University of North Carolina in 1843. He studied law and he was the valedictorian of his class.  After graduation, he was licensed to practice in North Carolina. However, back in the small farm town where he lived, there was very little law being practiced. He then concentrated on his other trades, mainly farming and cattle raising.

It is said that before the Civil War, Lenoir opposed slavery and the attempted secession. However, he eventually enlisted in the Civil War for the Confederate Army. He became a Captain in the War and participated in Stonewall Jackson's summer campaign in 1862. Unfortunately, in September of that year, he suffered a serious wound which resulted in his right leg being amputated.

Lenoir was very involved in developing North Carolina. He also had a strong hand in creating the town of Linville, which is near Grandfather Mountain. A huge advocate of education, he was also part of the movement to establish Davenport Female College. In 1875, Lenoir offered to donate a piece of land in Hickory, NC for "educational purposes". The land stayed vacant until shortly after Lenoir's death in 1890 when some Lutherans in North Carolina decided to accept the land offer and build a college on it. They named the college "Lenoir College".

Picture from Archive.org

A Fire and Daniel Efird Rhyne

Did you know that on January 6, 1927 a horrible fire destroyed the main building in Lenoir College? This building included the college library, classrooms, administrative offices and the auditorium. The College lacked the funds to rebuild and the insurance did not cover the cost of the repair. Lenoir College began fundraising efforts to raise money to repair the damage of the fire, but fortunately there was a man named Daniel Efrid Rhyne that came to the rescue. 

Rhyne was born on the 8th of February, 1852 in Gaston County, North Carolina. Born of German pioneer settlers, Rhyne attended North Carolina College in 1873. After his studies, Rhyne was involved in many different trades such as textiles (he owned a cotton mill, various stocks in textile plants, and was regarded as a "cotton mill genius"), manufacturing (he owned the Piedmont Wagon Company) real estate (he owned over 15,000 acres of farm and mining land throughout various counties in NC) and banking (president of one bank and director of two others). It is safe to say that Mr. Rhyne was a wealthy man. 

He was generous with his wealth. Not only did he donate $150,000 toward the rebuilding of Lenoir College which rightfully earned his namesake and making us what we are today : Lenoir-Rhyne University, but he donated much of his wealth to building many Lutheran churches all around North Carolina. 

Check out these links for more information!

Civil War Letters by Walter Waightstill Lenoir
The Laboratory Mill on Daniel Rhyne

References:

Cauble, F. P. (1991). Lenoir, Walter Waightstill. Retrieved from http://ncpedia.org/biography/lenoir-walter-waightstill

Cauble, F. P. (1994, January 1). Rhyne, Daniel Efird. Retrieved from http://ncpedia.org/biography/rhyne-daniel-efird

posted by Allison Etzel