East Carolina University can trace its roots to 1901 when City of Wilson citizens went to Raleigh to petition the N.C. General Assembly for an Eastern North Carolina Normal College. The delegation wanted the Normal College in Wilson. The request was denied because the politicians did not want to take money away from the State Normal College. In February 1905, Elizabeth City sent 11 citizens to persuade the General Assembly to charter a State Normal School for Eastern North Carolina. That delegation failed as well. Finally on March 8, 1907, at the urging of State Senator James Leonidas Fleming, the General Assembly passed an act titled: "AN ACT TO STIMULATE HIGH SCHOOL INSTRUCTION IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF THE STATE AND TEACHER TRAINING". In this act it said, "That there shall be established and maintained at some suitable point in eastern North Carolina a teachers' training school for the training of young white men and women under the corporate name of the East Carolina Teachers' Training School." $15,000 was appropriated to the fund to build the school, and $5,000 annually to fund the school. The Board of Trustees was selected on March 15, 1907 and Thomas Jordan Jarvis was chosen as the Chairman. Location Eight eastern North Carolina towns and cities placed bids on the location of the school. The towns and cities and what they offered is as follows: Washington — $75,000 and the choice of two sites, or ; Elizabeth City — $62,500 and ; Kinston — $25,000 in secured bonds, free water and electricity for 10 years, and the Rhodes Military School; New Bern — $25,000 and ; Rocky Mount — $25,000 and ; Tarboro — $30,000, free utilities for 10 years and choice of two sites, or ; Edenton — $25,000 and Greenville — $100,000 less the cost of land and bond election expenses. When Greenville put a bond to the city and County of Pitt, Haywood Dail promised Thomas Jarvis that Greenville would pass the bond. Dail wanted the ballots to be small and have only "For Bond Issue" and "Against Bond Issue" written on them. Dail then went on to chew the "Against Bond Issue" to ensure that the bond will pass. The vote passed by 352. The State Board of Education toured all eight cities in the month of June. On June 10, 1907 the SBE voted on the location of the school.