Stanhope had Prestigious School

By Michael K. Brantley

Today, Stanhope is a brief, pass through community on N.C. Highway 97. It is an interesting place and the home of a beautiful old church, as well as a firehouse, a high school, and some old homes.

The community was a stop on the Raleigh to Tarboro stagecoach line. It was named after Stanhope Crenshaw, a former operator of the line.

In the pre-Civil War era, it was home to a well-known school.

In 1840, Sylvester Brantley (I’m sure I’m related, but would need to do some digging to see just how) started a school in Stanhope, which is located between Zebulon and Rocky Mount. The school was called Stanhope Academy.

In 1860, Elijah Morgan gave the Academy a better lot about a quarter of a mile away. Pretty soon it became one of the largest schools in eastern North Carolina. It grew so fast, it outgrew the dorms and many students boarded with local families.

The school split around 1880, and one of the teachers, Captain A.W. Bridgers, started a rival school in an old mill.

One of the teachers, R.H. Wright, later became president of East Carolina Teachers College, or as it is better known and beloved in this part of the state, East Carolina University.

While I could not find an exact date of closure, the school was incorporated in 1883.

Sources: NCPedia; Nash County Historical Notes: By Faith and Heritage Are We Bound; Carolana.com.