Mississippi Industrial College Explained

Mississippi Industrial College was a historically black college in Holly Springs, Mississippi. It was founded in 1905 by the Mississippi Conference of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. After desegregation of community colleges in the mid-20th century, it had trouble competing and eventually closed in 1982. The campus was listed as a historic site on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and was acquired by Rust College in 2008.

History

Intended to train students for agriculture and trades, the school was located on a 120acres campus. The Mississippi Conference of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church founded it in 1905.[1] In January 1906 the first academic session began. Two hundred students were enrolled by May 1906. By 1908 the school had 450 students.[2]

By 1912 the college was running an extension program to allow students who didn't have time to attend its regular programs to benefit from the education it provided. According to the Times-Picayune, then president D. C. Potts told a meeting of the Mississippi Colored Methodist Conference in reference to this that "an institution [MIC] for which the people were sacrificing ought to be able to help more than the few students who attended its session."[3]

After the desegregation of Mississippi community colleges, many students chose to go to other schools. In addition, student expectations were changing.[4] In 1982 the campus closed.[1]

In November 1999 the Mississippi Industrial College Alumni Association, Inc. (MICAAI) was organized in order to preserve the campus and buildings, which had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The University of Mississippi said "the campus now lies in disrepair."[5] In 2008 Rust College acquired the defunct institution's campus.[6]

Notable faculty and alumni

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Nancy C. Curtis. Black Heritage Sites: An African American Odyssey and Finder's Guide. 25 July 2012. 1996. ALA Editions. 978-0-8389-0643-9. 146.
  2. Book: Henry H. Mitchell. Black Church Beginnings: The Long-Hidden Realities Of The First Years. registration. 25 July 2012. 15 October 2004. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. 978-0-8028-2785-2. 159.
  3. News: Hazlehurst Has Big Church Day Sessions of Mississippi Conference Held at Several Churches -- All Well. The Daily Picayune (Times-Picayune). December 16, 1912. 16.
  4. Book: Charles S. Aiken. The Cotton Plantation South Since the Civil War. 25 July 2012. 24 March 2003. JHU Press. 978-0-8018-7309-6. 368.
  5. Web site: Segregation Through the Lens: African American Schools in Mississippi before Integration . . May 28, 2024.
  6. News: Rust acquires MI College property . August 28, 2008 . The South Reporter . May 6, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140202104603/http://www.southreporter.com/2008/wk35/rust_mi.html . February 2, 2014.
  7. Web site: Lawrence H. Autry . serenityfuneralhomeinc.com . May 6, 2024.
  8. News: County honors murdered sheriff . May 27, 2006 . . May 3, 2024.
  9. CME150 Conversations with the Families of Bishop Kirkendoll and Bishop Broomfield . youtube.com . May 6, 2024.
  10. Web site: Elias Cottrell . Alicia . Jackson . July 10, 2017 . Center for Study of Southern Culture . May 6, 2024.
  11. Book: ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game . 9780345513922 . 2009 . Ballantine Books .
  12. Web site: Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Hall of Fame: Paul M. Holly (2008) . tssaasports.com . May 3, 2024.
  13. News: Bob Ledbetter, 49; Coached Backfield for Giants' Offense . Litsky . Frank . October 9, 1983 . . May 3, 2024.
  14. Web site: Department Of Health, Kinesiology & Sport Studies . . May 3, 2024.
  15. Web site: AFRICAN AMERICAN FACTS FROM THE BOOK: STRAWBERRY PLAINS AUDUBON CENTER: FOUR CENTURIES OF A MISSISSIPPI LANDSCAPE BY HUBERT H. MCALEXANDER . Mississippi Ancestors . Beverly A Harper.
  16. News: Holmes Teer...a legend in his own time . 31 March 2020 . Mississippi Press Association . The South Reporter, Lois Swanee, Dr. Lillian Stratman, Ph.D . 2004.
  17. Book: McAlexander, Hubert . Strawberry Plains Audubon Center . Univ. Press of Mississippi . 978-1-61703-484-8 . 102 . March 31, 2020 . en.
  18. Web site: Negro American Baseball League (1958): League Leaders . Howe News Bureau (Chicago) . May 6, 2024.