Hiwassee College's predecessor, an all-boys school, Tullagalla Academy, was founded in 1826. Its original home was 5 miles away from the present campus. In 1845, after enrollment had grown too large for its location, the school moved to the Methodist Bat Creek Campground. After the departure of the academy's director in 1848, five Methodists came together to reorganize the school as a college in the same location. Hiwassee College was officially organized in 1849, making it the oldest private two-year college in Tennessee until its closure in 2019. In 1854, John Hamilton Brunner became the second president of Hiwassee College. Brunner made the decision to close the college from 1861 to 1865 during the Civil War. In 1870, Francis Grace became president of the college; however, Brunner returned in 1872 and remained president until 1883. During most of the 1880s, Hiwassee was associated with Victoria College for women in nearby
Sweetwater, Tennessee. Under his leadership, most of the current buildings on campus were constructed including the Lundy Science Hall (1961), the Rudy Youell Physical Education Facility (1965), Allison Hall dormitory (1965), Tom Black Hall dormitory (1965), the Barker Learning Center (1969), and Buckner Memorial Chapel (1969). He retired in 1980. During Barker's tenure, Dr. James H. Amburgey served as the academic dean at the college. Upon Barker's retirement, Amburgey became the college president and served until 1984. Following Amburgey was Dr. Stephen Fritz. In 2003, Dr. James A. Noseworthy became the college's 21st president. Hiwassee College was
accredited with the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, but in 2008 their accreditation was withdrawn. Noseworthy sought to save the school, despite its troubles. During this time, it went from 400 students to only 100. On November 3, 2009 it attained candidacy status for accreditation as a Category II institution by the
Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS). Noseworthy retired in April 2010. In 2011, Dr. Robin Tricoli was named the 22nd President of Hiwassee College. Under her tenure, the college attained full accreditation through TRACS in October 2013 and reaffirmed in 2018.
Affiliation with the Methodist Church ] Although closely tied to the
Methodist Church since its founding, it was not until 1908 that the Trustees of Hiwassee College and the Holston Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South entered into an agreement for joint operation of the institution. Hiwassee College came under the complete control and ownership of the Methodist Church-South in 1937, shortly before its reunion with its northern counterpart in 1939. Prior to 1980, the three United Methodist-related colleges in the Holston Conference (a geographic region that includes
East Tennessee and small parts of southwest
Virginia and north
Georgia) were governed by a unified board of trustees. In 1980, the Board of Trustees established a separate Board of Governors for each institution, and by 1990, each of the three colleges operated under a separate, independent board of trustees.
Closure and aftermath The college closed on May 10, 2019 due to financial issues. The Hiwassee College Alumni Association Inc. (HCAA) submitted a non-cash offer for the college and its debt in July 2019 with hopes of reopening the college. The campus was put up for sale on January 2, 2020 for $8.6 million dollars. The offering Memorandum states, "
The Trustees of Hiwassee College now intend to divest the real property owned by the college, and as such are offering the property for sale." In January 2020, a former trustee of the college, William Harmon, a
Maryville, Tennessee doctor, sued the college for return of his $100,000 donation earmarked for construction of a new library which was to be named in his honor. According to its website, Harmon was the college's board of trustees secretary. Harmon wants the
Monroe County, Tennessee Chancery Court to find that the donation must paid back to him once the college sells. In light of the suit, the
Comptroller of the Treasury of Tennessee conducted an investigation of the college. The investigative report found "operating deficiencies related to disbursements, travel reimbursements, and the release of restrictions on monetary gifts." The land and buildings were listed for sale with an asking price of $6 million. They were sold to the
Bruderhof in late 2020. ==Campus==