The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Ragsdale House

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Institution Name: Guilford College
Original/Historic Place Name: Ragsdale House
Location on Campus:
Date(s) of Construction and Designer(s):

1935	original construction Unknown

Type of Place: Individual building
Style(s): (Glossary)
Materials:

Foundation: none specified

Walls: brick veneer

Roof: asphalt shingle

Function:

ca. 1935-1965	private residence
ca. 1949-1965	other (college guest house)
ca. 1990	other (college guest house)
ca. 2004-present (2007)	president's house

Significance: culture, history
Landmark designation:

National Register

Guilford College (1990) and Guilford College Historic District (2001)

Narrative: see below
References: see below

Narrative:
Virginia Ragsdale built this house in 1935 with the understanding that it would become the residence of the college president after she died. Dr. Ragsdale, an 1892 graduate of Guilford College, was a mathematician and professor at Woman's College (now University of North Carolina at Greensboro) from 1911-1928. Her dissertation, "On the Arrangement of the Real Branches of Plain Algebraic Curves," was published in the American Journal of Mathematics and continues to garner the respect of mathematicians today. Since the president already had a home at the time of Ragsdale's death in 1945, the house served for a time as an alumni and guest house. A large reception room was added to the rear in 1968 to make the home more suitable for presidential social functions. The house continues to serve as the president's residence.

References:

I. Bibliographic sources:

Appenzeller, Herb. Pride in the Past: Guilford Athletics, 1837-1987. Greensboro, NC: Quaker Club, Guilford College, 1987.

Godwin, Gayle H. et al. Girls Are of Infinite Importance: Life in Mary Hobbs Hall at Guilford College. Greensboro, NC: Fisher-Harrison, 1977.

Guilford College. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1990.

"Guilford College Proposal for Campus Heritage Initiative, The Getty Foundation." [Guilford, NC: Guilford College], 2003.

North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Guilford College Historic District (Boundary Decrease). National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 2001.

Stoesen, Alexander R. Guilford College on the Strength of 150 Years. Greensboro, NC: Board of Trustees, Guilford College, 1987.

Thorne, Dorothy Lloyd Gilbert. Guilford: A Quaker College. Greensboro, NC: J. J. Stone and Company, 1937.

II. Location of other data:

University: Special Collections

SHPO

Government Offices