Search results
Morristown College was an African American higher education institution located in Morristown, the seat of Hamblen County, Tennessee. It was founded in 1881 [2] by the national Freedman's Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The school was renamed Knoxville College-Morristown Campus in 1989 and closed in 1996.
From 1881 to 1994, Morristown, Tennessee enjoyed presence of Morristown Normal and Industrial College, a historically Black college created to serve the educational needs of the area’s African-American residents.
Oct 8, 2017 · In 1881, the Methodist Episcopal Church founded Morristown College, a historically African American two-year institution of higher education, located in Morristown, the seat of Hamblen County, Tennessee.
- Kevin Cason
Feb 29, 2020 · Morristown College, an historic African American higher education institution, was founded on this site in 1881 by the National Freedman’s Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
- Morristown & The School
- Racial Tensions
- Morristown Normal Academy
- Morristown Normal & Industrial College
- More and Better Buildings Starting Tomorrow
- Loss of A Founder
- Life After Hill
- New President, New Building
- Downhill Road For Morristown College
- Morristown College’s Last Chapter
The area known today as Morristown was settled by Gideon Morris and his family in 1787. Morris was granted a 400-acre tract by the state of North Carolina (Tennessee did not become a state until 1796), and on this land Gideon established Morristown – however it was not officially incorporated until 1855. For the purposes of our story we fast forwar...
If enrollment was the measuring stick, the school was an immediate success. At the conclusion of the first operational year (1882), Dr. Hill and Mrs. Stearns hosted 190 students in the 60-foot-by-40-foot three-room building. Built in former Confederate territory, Morristown Seminary College became a moral triumph. The bells of success rang proudly ...
Students began enrolling at Morristown’s Seminary school by the hundreds. Initially the school was established as an elementary and secondary-level institution. The school offered Primary, Normal, and Preparatory courses which ranged from algebra and geometry to spelling. Due to its religious affiliation, Christian values were emphasized. Because i...
At the dawn of the twentieth century there remained resistance among whites toward the movement to educate blacks, especially higher education. A compromise was the decision to steer them toward industrial and vocational education. This was not their preferred solution, but it was one endorsed by Booker T. Washington. Dr. Hill followed the trend an...
Morristown N & I was an institution of limited means, but the school persevered by taking advantage of its adroit student labor. For the new male dormitory, Dr. Hill enlisted his students to acquire the raw materials. Trees from Wallace Farm were sacrificed to the cause; by 1921, 240,000 feet of timber had been cut and dried in a kiln at the school...
On September 14th, 1931, the 77 year-old Dr. Judson Hill died after battling a short illness. When news spread of Dr. Hill’s death, the community temporarily put differences aside. Townspeople came together to celebrate the man who inherited a shack on one and a half acres, and with few resources, and turned it into the 375-acre, dozen-building Mor...
Influenced by the aftershocks of the Great Depression, the Board of Schools of the Methodist Church did not rush the process of selecting a successor. In October of 1933, two years after Hill’s death, the Board selected Chicago Training School professor Edward C. Paustin as the next Presidentof Morristown College. Paustin’s main task was to rescue ...
The next president of Morristown College was Dr. Elmer Pettiford Gibson, appointed in 1959. Gibson (pictured) was a decorated Army Lieutenant Colonel and the son of a former slave. The former Army chaplain had served in World War II and the Korean War, and had earned a Bronze Star and Legion of Merit awards along the way. Gibson also held several c...
In May of 1968 Dr. Gibson dismissed eleven students for leading a rebellion against dormitory rules. The following year, Gibson resigned. The next man up was Mr. J. Otis Erwin, who served as Morristown College president until 1972. Troubled times would persist as student unrest continued. More student rebellions took place, including one in October...
On September 15th, 1983, the historic campus of Morristown College was added to the listof the National Register of Historic Places due to its architectural significance and its “important contributions to African-American education.” The nomination referenced the school’s notable Queen Anne and Georgian Revival architectural styles, but noted the ...
Morristown College is Founded. *This date in 1881 celebrates the founding of Morristown College, a Historically Black College and University ( HBCU) located in Morristown, the seat of Hamblen County, Tennessee. It was founded by the National Freedman's Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
May 18, 2017 · 532 subscribers. Subscribed. 76. 3.3K views 6 years ago. Students and teachers and community members share their memories of Morristown College. Founded in 1881 as one of the first high schools...
- 36 min
- 3.5K
- Holston Conference of The United Methodist Church
People also ask
Who founded Morristown College?
When did Morristown College close?
Why was Morristown College renamed Morristown Normal & Industrial College?
Are there public schools in Morristown?
