 On September 6, 1897, Habersham County approved the petition and issued a charter for the institution that would later be known as Piedmont College.The citizens of Demorest had purchased a girls' dormitory and had appointed a board of trustees and the college was officially formed.Although the charter had been obtained, and the institution was on its way to becoming what it is today, the Board of Trustees, who were mostly made up of Methodists across the state, needed a president who would be the driving force for starting the college.