History of Piedmont College - Creation of The College

Creation of The College

In late 1897 the citizens of Demorest petitioned the state of Georgia for the creation of an institution. On September 6, 1897, Habersham County approved the petition and issued a charter for the institution that would later be known as Piedmont College. The citizens of Demorest had purchased a girls' dormitory and had appointed a board of trustees and the college was officially formed.

Although the charter had been obtained, and the institution was on its way to becoming what it is today, the Board of Trustees, who were mostly made up of Methodists across the state, needed a president who would be the driving force for starting the college. The man they chose was Charles C. Spence, a native Georgian who was a graduate of Emory College and former president of Young Harris College.

Spence set up the college in similar fashion to Young Harris. It had three parts: preparatory, academic and collegiate. The preparatory and academic parts were what are now known as elementary, middle, and high schools. The institution was named the J.S. Green Collegiate Institute. Because it was essentially a Methodist school, it was named for local banker and Methodist Jesse S. Green. In 1899, the name was shortened to the J.S. Green College.