at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library
This guide is designed to introduce researchers to resources on Duke University institutional history when it was located in Randolph County, NC. Approximately fifty miles west of its current location in Durham, Duke University started in the more isolated and rural Randolph County and went by various names and served different purposes. It started as a primary subscription school known as Brown's Schoolhouse before becoming a private academy in 1839, called Union Institute. In 1851, it rechartered to Normal College, a training school for teachers. Finally in 1859, it became Trinity College, a liberal arts college connected to the Methodist Episcopal Church. It moved to Durham in 1892.
The information in this guide is separated into five sections. Please use the tabs at left to navigate to each section. Links to relevant digitized materials are included in each section.
After reviewing this guide, please contact a University Archives staff member if you need further assistance in locating additional resources.
The Duke University Archives, part of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, is the official repository for the historical records of Duke University. Visit our website to learn more about us!
The materials described in this guide may be used in the Rubenstein Library's reading room. Some materials have been digitized and are available online, and will be marked accordingly in this guide.
The subject headings below will gather together Duke Libraries resources that may be relevant to your research. Clicking on these subject headings will search the entire Duke Libraries catalog.
To narrow the list of results to materials located in the Duke University Archives, select "University Archives" under the Location menu on the lefthand side of the page.
