The Ravenscroft School in Asheville

The Ravenscroft School, an Episcopal boarding school in Asheville, North Carolina, 1856 to 1901, had three distinct phases. It was first a “Classical and Theological School” (1856–1864) and then, following the Civil War, a Theological Training School and Associate Mission (1868–1900); in 1887 it split into two departments, a Theological Training School/Associate Mission and Ravenscroft High School for Boys (1887–1901). The purview of this book is from the early days of Asheville (1820s) to the building of Joseph Osborne’s mansion in the 1840s (which would eventually house the school), through the years of the school’s operation, and thence to the mid–20th century when the campus buildings were sold and repurposed. The book concludes with the efforts by historic preservationists in the late 1970s to save the few remaining buildings. The book includes biographical notes on notable alumni and histories of the churches established by the Ravenscroft Associate Mission and Training School.

Dale Wayne Slusser has worked as an architectural designer with Helps International Ministries in Asheville for 25 years. He is a member of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and a trustee of the Preservation Society of Asheville–Buncombe County.

Dale Wayne Slusser

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 236
Bibliographic Info: 30 photos, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7462-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0350-6
Imprint: McFarland
Series: Contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies

Acknowledgments  xi
Preface  1
One. Mountains, Mansions and Missionaries: 1800–1849  3
Two. Reading, ’Riting and Rectors: 1850–1864  18
Three. Post-War: Postulants and Priests: 1865–1883  31
Four. Redirection: Rectors and Ravenscroft High: 1884–1897  45
Five. Buxton Hill, Bishops and Boarding Houses: 1898–1950  80
Six. Postscript: Peril or Preservation? 1951–2010  90
Seven. Ravenscroft Boys: Biographical Notes of Notable Alumni  95
Eight. Histories of Ravenscroft Associate Mission Churches  106
Buncombe County  107
Cherokee County  138
Haywood County  142
Henderson County  148
Jackson County  157
Madison County  164
Rutherford County  169
Transylvania County  172
Missions Miscellanea  176
Timeline  183
Appendix—Chronology of Joseph Roland Osborne  187
Chapter Notes  197
Bibliography  215
Index  221

• Winner, Historical Book Award—North Carolina Society of Historians
• “provides valuable details on a more obscure period in Asheville’s history…a friendly narrative…conversational in tone and easy to read.”—The North Carolina Historical Review