Bassett House

Introduction

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The Bassett House was built in 1891 as part of the "Faculty Row Houses" at Trinity College. Its original and most famous resident, John Spencer Bassett, was a history professor at the college and became involved in what would come to be called "The Bassett Affair," a groundbreaking case for academic freedom. The Bassett House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Images

Moved from its original location in 1916, the Bassett House still stands with other Faculty Row houses on Trinity Ave.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

John Spencer Bassett attended Trinity College from 1886-1888. He taught at a local grade school following his graduation, and returned to Trinity as an instructor in 1890. During this time, he founded the 9019, the first scholarship society at Trinity. He left to earn his doctorate degree at John Hopkins University in 1894. He then returned to Trinity College as a history professor. Bassett is credited with assembling the majority of the college library's historical section, persuading many to donate books to the library.

Following the election of a Democratic governor in 1900, the state of North Carolina experienced a period of Black disenfranchisement. Bassett published an essay in the "South Atlantic Quarterly" asserting that politicians taking advantage of "the race issue" for political gain was irresponsible, and would surely lead to future racial conflict. He said that white citizens simply had to stop insisting on the inferiority of Black citizens, and called Booker T. Washington "all in all the greatest man, save for General Lee, born in the South for 100 years..."

The response to this essay from the Democratic media was brutal. For weeks, the press insulted both Bassett and Trinity College. Bassett, worried about the school's reputation, offered to resign. Trinity's president, the faculty, and students defended Bassett, and ultimately it became the decision of the Board of Trustees, who voted in favor of Bassett 18 to 7. Following their decision, the Board of Trustees issued a statement of support, which has became a key document in the United States' history of academic freedom.

Bassett left Trinity in 1906, but continued in academia at Smith College. He died in 1928. The Bassett House was moved from its original location in 1916, and now stands on West Trinity Avenue, near Duke University.

Sources

North Carolina MPS Bassett House, National Register Catalog. Accessed October 14th 2020. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47717731.

Bassett House, Open Durham. Accessed October 14th 2020. https://www.opendurham.org/buildings/bassett-house.