History of Randolph-Macon College, Virginia / The Oldest Incorporated Methodist College in America

The narrative traces the college's origins within the Methodist educational movement, recounting early efforts by Methodist leaders to found academies, the establishment of local schools such as Ebenezer, and the decision by the Virginia Conference to create a denominational college. It documents chartering and construction of the initial campus, profiles founding trustees and benefactors, surveys contemporaneous Methodist institutions, and describes campus layout and early student life. The account draws on documentary records, trustee resolutions, and recollections to explain institutional growth, denominational oversight, early challenges, and the college's development into a stable center for higher learning under Methodist patronage.