FSU History Is Black History: Founders of Fayetteville State University
posted by Ty Hamer-Yelverton | February 21, 2022 | In Arts and CultureThe seal in front of Rudolph Jones Student Center states: “Fayetteville State University founded November 29, 1867” with seven names encircling around the historical landmark: David A. Bryant, Nelson Carter, Andrew J. Chesnutt, George W. Grange, Sr., Matthew N. Leary, Jr., Thomas Lomax, and Robert Simmons. Here is the history of these seven distinguished men.
Bryant was a farmer and chairman of the Evans Chapel Board of Trustees, who later became a minister in the AME Zion Church. Bryant has been ascribed for his contributions to the assurance and maintenance of the Evans Chapel church as an affiliation of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Conference.
At 36 years old, Carter, a pilot who worked on the Cape Fear River, was designated as one of seven original trustees of the Howard School when it was established. Carter descended from a family of boatmen.
Known as a man of means, Chesnutt was a grocery store owner during Reconstruction. Chesnutt was one of the men who contributed to the $136 that purchase the two lots on Gillespie Street for the Howard School. For 50 years, Chesnutt served as the secretary-treasurer of Evans Chapel known today as Evans Metropolitan Church. He married Ann Chesnutt and had three sons, one of whom was Charles Waddell Chesnutt, one of the first important African American short story writers and novelists.
Grange was a farmer and later became minister who served as a deacon and an elder at Evans Chapel.
Leary was a Fayetteville native and came from a free African American family who were prosperous during this time. Leary held political positions in local government before moving to Washington, D.C., where he continued serving in governmental positions.
Lomax was a minister and later bishop of the AME Church in both Fayetteville and Charlotte. Along with helping to establish the Howard School, he assisted in the founding of Livingstone College and the Lomax and Hannon High Industrial School in Alabama.
Simmons was the son of an African American slave father and a freed African American mother, who taught him how to read as a child. Simmons served as a public official in positions such as school committeeman, deputy sheriff, jailer, and justice of peace. He was also a preacher and an operator of a market in the Fayetteville.
Broncos, let us consider the legacy of our seven founders this Black History Month as their names lay before you walk into the Rudolph Jones Student Center.
Photo courtesy of Fayetteville State University
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.