On May 14, 1956, the North Carolina Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church met in Goldsboro and approved a petition from the people of Rocky Mount to locate a college in their community. In early September, the first trustees established temporary headquarters in the Ricks Hotel. One of the first actions of the Board was to name the institution North Carolina Wesleyan College. The College was officially chartered by the State of North Carolina on October 25, 1956.
Capital investments totaling approximately $2 million made possible the construction of the main buildings on the 200-acre site donated by the M.C. Braswell heirs of Rocky Mount, and four years later 92 students enrolled in the first class at North Carolina Wesleyan College. In 1964, 33 students received their degrees at the College’s first Commencement.
Since those early days, nearly 15,000 students have earned bachelor’s degrees in the arts and sciences. Alumni from Rocky Mount, neighboring communities, numerous states and several foreign countries affirm Wesleyan’s value as an important resource for higher education in Eastern North Carolina. On Friday, April 22, 2022, towards the conclusion of Wesleyan’s 65th anniversary, the North Carolina Wesleyan University Board of Trustees announced plans for the College to become North Carolina Wesleyan University.
North Carolina Wesleyan University Archives
Pearsall Library maintains the University Archives and several Special Collections that are housed primarily in two locations within the library: The Hardee-Rives Room and the Archives area. These collections contain materials to support the research needs of the college community and are non-circulating collections.
Mission Statement
The mission of the North Carolina Wesleyan University Archives is to collect, organize, preserve, and provide access to the records of the University that have enduring historical, legal, administrative, or fiscal value to the institution. The Archives serves as a repository for printed materials, photographs, manuscript collections, artifacts, and other memorabilia that relate to the history of North Carolina Wesleyan University. The materials held in the University Archives support the research needs of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the public.
Over the years, a number brief histories of NC Wesleyan University have been written; several of these are below as searchable PDFs.
The University Archives comprise many materials that document the history of the University including college catalogs, yearbooks, student newspapers, university publications, documents, audio visual materials, and ephemera.
To find out more about the archives or to accessing the physical materials in the archives, speak to a library staff member, call (252) 985-5350, or email reference@ncwu.edu.
Links to digitized materials are in the box below.
Some university publications have been digitized and are available online through Digital NC or on our website. These items include college catalogs, yearbooks, newspapers, and other publications.