North Carolina School for the Deaf

The North Carolina School for the Deaf (NCSD) was founded in 1894 and was the first institution in the state specifically for deaf children. Nationally known educator and North Carolina native Dr. Edward McKee Goodwin (1859-1937) led the effort to establish it. The school was an immediate success. It became known for implementing progressive teaching methods and the campus itself was praised for its modern facilities. The oldest portion of the school, which contains buildings that were built ca. 1894 to ca. 1939, is a historic district that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The centerpiece of the district is the three-story Main Building, which was designed by Augustus Bauer and is a striking example of Late Victorian architecture. Its most notable features include the five-story central tower, the polygonal towers topped by bell-cast roofs, and the gabled dormers.

One of the first calls to establish a school for the deaf and blind was made in 1816 by lawyer and state legislator Archibald D. Murphey (1777-1832). However, the first school for deaf and blind (white) children in North Carolina wasn't established until 1845 in Raleigh. The first school in the country for deaf and blind African American children was founded in 1869 and it was also located in Raleigh. In the early 1890s, Dr. Edward McKee Goodwin successfully lobbied the state legislature to establish a separate school for deaf children. As a result, the school in Raleigh, which is now called Governor Morehead School and continues to be a school for the blind, was divided into two.

Another prominent figure in the state, Samuel McDowell Tate (1830-1897), who had served as the president of the Western North Carolina Railroad and in the state legislature, helped persuaded the state to establish the new school in Morganton. The site for the new school was called "Spa Hill" and was acquired from the Morgan Development Company. Bauer designed Main Building following the design of another school for the deaf called the Philadelphia Institute.

NCSD opened on October 2, 1894 with 104 students and eight teachers. Mckee served as its first president until his death in 1937. The school quickly became a leader in the education of deaf children and attracted other leading educators of the day, including Alexander Graham Bell and Edward Gallaudet (1837-1917). Gallaudet established the first institution of higher learning in the country for the deaf that is now called Gallaudet University. NCSD also offered classes in vocational training and college preparatory classes. Over time, the school grew and added more buildings. Some those built by 1939 were designed in a variety of architectural styles including the Colonial Revival and Romanesque styles. NCSD continues to provide vital educational opportunities for the deaf and hard of hearing.

"North Carolina School for the Deaf." North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program. Accessed July 13, 2021. http://www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?MarkerId=N-40.

Templeton, Lee Plummer. "Special Education." NCPedia. 2006. https://ncpedia.org/education-special.

Wylie, Suzanne Pickens. "North Carolina School for the Deaf." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. December 12, 1976. https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/BK0021.pdf.