Thyne Institute

<b>Thyne Institute was established</b> by Rev. J.Y. Ashenhurst, United Presbyterian Church, and a group of local citizens to provide an opportunity for African Americans (known as &#8220;freedmen&#8221; in the late 1800s) to obtain an education. In 1876 73 students were enrolled. Dr. Ashenhurst began teaching from a tobacco warehouse when Mr. John Thyne donated five acres of land and built the first school building. The church named the school in his honor. In 1914 Thyne Institute gained high school accreditation by the Virginia Department of Education. Academics such as Latin, calculus, Bible and music, as well as a good practical education, were taught. Thyne Institute was so successful at delivering a quality education to African Americans that other schools throughout the South followed a similar pattern. Examples are Henderson Institute of North Carolina and Bluestone Harmony School of Virginia.<br><br> The church expanded the school in 1893, when the school started boarding students. Students from as far away as Ohio and New York attended. However, most of the boarding students came from the Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads area of the state. Enrollment peaked in the 1951-1952 school year, with 650 students, a staff of 23 teachers and a graduation class of 140. Thyne Institute enriched the lives of over 5,000 students and their descendents and during its time, set the standard of quality for education for African Americans.<br><br> The school was eventually turned over to the Mecklenburg County School Board. In the 1970s the campus buildings were replaced by a new elementary school.<br><br> The accomplishments of Thyne Institute were not obtained without sacrifice and dedication to purpose. The school suffered many setbacks, including fires, financial difficulties and hostilities within the community among the white and black population. The Institute soared as an educational giant in an age and time when society did not recognize education as essential to quality of life, but rather as a deterrent to hard work.