NEWS

Although Dr. John Peter Munroe lived in Davidson for only about 20 years, he was powerful force for change. His work in medical circles, business, government, and other arenas made a lasting impact.

Munroe was born in Cumberland County, North Carolina, in 1857. He was the youngest of six sons of architect and contractor Peter Munroe and the former Isabella Jane Cameron. He graduated as valedictorian of the Davidson class of 1882, and three years later from the Virginia Medical School. He practiced medicine in Durham for three years before coming to Davidson in 1889. There he became the college physician and bought Dr. Paul Barringer’s fledgling one-year medical preparatory course.

Munroe soon began to improve the medical program. In 1890, he increased the coursework to two years; by 1893, three years of courses were being offered and the school, now called the North Carolina Medical College, received a charter from the state. The medical college had no formal relationship with Davidson College, although students took their chemistry and physics courses there, and some Davidson professors taught there on a contractual basis. By 1897, enrollment at the medical college was 80, and 16 of the 17 graduates passed the state medical exam. In 1900, Munroe, unmarried, was living in his own home in Davidson with his nephew, pharmacy clerk Stokes H. Munroe.

Gradually, however, the medical program began to move to Charlotte. In 1902, Munroe saw a need for more intensive clinical training, and opened a clinic in the Southern Real Estate Building there. The following year, he and other members of the Medical College faculty bought the former Charlotte Private Hospital on Church Street and presented it to the Presbyterian churches in the area; it was renamed Presbyterian Hospital. He also entered into a unique working arrangement with Good Samaritan Hospital, which served African American patients. In 1907, the medical college left Davidson entirely when Munroe moved all of the school’s classes to Charlotte.

While in Davidson, Munroe was an active member of the community. He worshipped at the Presbyterian Church, serving as the music director for several years. He was also instrumental in organizing the Linden Mill Chapel, later called Unity Chapel, intended for mill workers and their families. Munroe raised money for the project, and according to Jan Blodgett and Ralph Levering, the simple wooden building eventually cost more than the money available. Munroe then appealed to contributors for more donations, telling them that otherwise he would have to sell his beloved bicycle to complete the project.

In 1892, he invited mill children to his home for a Christmas party, and he sponsored Christmas programs there for a number of years. By 1892, Dr. Munroe was a member of Davidson’s Board of Commissioners, where he served until 1902. And he was one of the original trustees of the Davidson Academy in 1893. According to Blodgett and Levering, “Munroe provides an example of the concern for others and commitment to community service that are major themes in the history of the town and college.”

Munroe was also active in business. In 1898, he served on the board of the town’s first telephone franchise, which was later transferred to Southern Bell. In 1902, he built a pharmacy at 112 South Main Street, which he enlarged in 1903 to house the town’s first bank, the Southern States Trust Company. The latter building has housed a bank ever since, most recently Wells Fargo. In July 1907, he was an original shareholder in the Delburg Cotton Mill Company; by 1916 he was also president of the Linden Cotton Mill, which was founded in 1890. In 1923 the two mills merged, creating the Delburg-Linden Company. That same year Munroe, who was president of the company, began to pursue sale of the company to Martin Cannon of Cannon Mills, who eventually bought it.

Dr. Munroe was often mentioned in articles about life in Davidson. Despite being unmarried, he often entertained. A December 1897 article of the college magazine describes one of his “delightful entertainments,” which he held in honor of visitors Mrs. Brown of Washington and Mrs. Montgomery of Concord. On this occasion, women were elaborately dressed in silks, satin, pearls, and diamonds. According to the report, “During the evening interesting geographical and musical games were introduced, after which the guests partook of a ‘dainty repast.’”

Newspaper reports noted in 1901 that he had given an “elaborate supper” in honor of the college football team. He was also attracted to the latest gadgets, including the bicycle. According to the Raleigh News and Observer, by July of 1897 “wheelmen [were] plentiful among the Predestinarians” at Davidson College. The “crack” bicycle club was composed of fifteen students and five members of the faculty, with Dr. J. P. Munroe … as one of the leading cyclists.”  He also had one of the early cars, complete with chauffeur.

When the Medical College moved to Charlotte in 1907, Munroe went with it. He continued to be a force there, founding and leading the Charlotte Sanitorium, being active in numerous medical societies, engaged in public speaking, and involved in banking and numerous civic organizations. In 1938, at the age of 81, he returned to Davidson. In 1940 he was living there with his nephew and niece James McDowell and Annabelle Douglas. He died in October of that same year and is buried in Davidson. The inscription on his stone reads “The Beloved Physician.”  According to historian Mary Beaty, Dr. Munroe was “One of the most important figures in Davidson’s history” whose “wide-ranging interests and strong business sense made him a catalyst for social and economic change in the town. Mills, stores, a bank, the developing town government — all owe their very existence to this man.”