The Asheville Female College was the first institution of higher education in the western portion of North Carolina, founded as the Asheville Female Seminary in 1841 by , M.D. and Rev. , D.D. The school had its first quarters on the corner of Patton Avenue and Church Street in Asheville, North Carolina. After the Civil War, the property was purchased by a stock company and sold to Rev. James Atkins, Jr. The college was renamed Asheville Female College. A newer building was built by the president Rev. James Atkins, A.M., D.D, and in 1888.