Lumbee culture, instilling a sense of pride, and improving the group's economic and social conditions.
"Croatan Normal School" was created by the General Assembly on March 7, 1887, in response to a local petition sponsored by North Carolina Representative Hamilton McMillan of Robeson County. This event occurred in the context of competition for support between the Democratic and Republican parties in North Carolina. Hamilton MacMillan's support for the school was connected to his interest and research on Native American history and culture. The school's initial name, Croatan Normal School, was selected following the debatable view that this tribe included descendants of the Outer Banks Lost Colony of Sir Walter Raleigh.
The normal school opened in the spring of 1888 with one teacher and 15 students to train American Indian public school teachers. Initially, enrollment was limited to the American Indians of Robeson County. In this period, school enrollment was often quite limited among the general population. …
