Ira Turlington, a prominent educator in eastern North Carolina, served on the ECTTS board of trustees from shortly after the school’s legislative founding in 1907, through its third academic year, 1911-1912, a crucial period in East Carolina’s history as an institution of higher education. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries witnessed a proliferation of new schools at all levels, but few survived more than a decade or so. East Carolina’s ultimate longevity grew from the leadership skills of board members like Turlington who understood, both personally and professionally, the importance of a strong commitment to educational institutions.
Turlington graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1883, a classmate of Edwin A. Alderman (1861-1931), later president of the University of North Carolina, James Yadkin Joyner (1862-1954), later North Carolina superintendent of public instruction, and Charles B. Aycock (1859-1912), governor of the state from 1901-1905. Like all three, Turlington, a dedicated Democrat, combined advocacy for education with a commitment to racial segregation and white supremacy.
After graduating, Turlington established and taught at the Pleasant Hill Academy in Johnson County before founding, in 1886, Smithfield Collegiate Institute, a two-room private school. In 1891, a “large handsome and commodious building was erected” for the growing school, soon renamed the Turlington Institute and broadened in its educational mission as a coeducational boarding school offering optional military instruction for young men. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Turlington Institute was recognized as one of the largest and most successful private academies in the state.
When Turlington later became superintendent of public education in Johnson County, a group of Smithfield residents purchased the Turlington Institute property and turned it into a public graded school named the Turlington Graded School. Turlington subsequently extended his legacy by taking a new position as superintendent of Mount Airy schools where he remained for the balance of his professional life.
Sources:
- Battle, Kemp P. “Some Old Schools.” Morning Post (Raleigh). December 24, 1899. P. 10.
- “For State Superintendent: Johnson County Presents the Name of Ira T. Turlington.” Morning Post (Raleigh). March 30, 1900. P. 3.
- “Former Students Plan a Memorial.” Harnett County News. June 22, 1922. P. 1.
- “Hundreds Pay Tribute to Turlington.” Greensboro Daily News. March 16, 1918. P. 2.
- “Ira T. Turlington, Early 1900s.” 1885-1905. Images of North Carolina # 973. DigitalNC.https://lib.digitalnc.org/record/13233
- “Presentation of Turlington Portrait.” News and Observer. January 18, 1914. P. 1.
- “Prof. Ira Turlington Dies at Black Mountain.” Charlotte Observer. March 12, 1918. P. 2.
- “Smithfield’s Gala Week.” News and Observer. June 12, 1895. P. 4.
- “Tribute to Prof. Turlington.” Farmer and Mechanic. May 26, 1903. P. 2.
- “Turlington Graded School – Smithfield, NC – 1922.” North Carolina Education – Johnson County. https://www.carolana.com/NC/Education/nc_education_johnston_county.html
- Turlington Institute Annual Catalogue. 1893. North Carolina Yearbooks. DigitalNC. https://lib.digitalnc.org/record/37389
- “Turlington Institute: One of the Great Educational Institutions of the Old North State, A Military Boarding School.” News and Observer. August 24, 1899. P. 78.
Related Materials
Ira Thomas Turlington. Image Source: News and Observer, August 24, 1899, p. 78.
Turlington Graded School, Smithfield, NC 1922. Image Source: https://www.carolana.com/NC/Education/nc_education_johnston_county.html
Citation Information
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 9/9/2022