BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY
Concord University was established on February 28, 1872, by an Act of the West Virginia Legislature. The early founding years were difficult, but finally, on February 22, 1874, the cornerstone of the first building was laid. Instrumental in obtaining the land and buildings were W.H. Martin and Captain William Holroyd, residents of the then town of Concord Church, now called Athens.
Captain James Harvey French was appointed the first teacher and principal of Concord Normal School, and the institution was officially opened on May 10, 1875. In 1886, the Normal School, through appropriations from the State Legislature, was housed in a large and handsome building on the site of the present Athens School on South State Street. This structure was destroyed by fire on November 22, 1910, and the site of the Normal School was moved to its present location, where a central building was erected.
The Legislature has on three occasions recognized the expanding educational mission of Concord by changing the institution’s name. In 1931, the name was amended from Concord State Normal School to Concord State Teachers College, and in 1943 the name was officially shortened to Concord College. In 2004 we became Concord University.