Burritt College (1848 - 1939) was a college in Spencer, Tennessee, United States. Established in 1848, it was one of the first coeducational institutions in the South, and one of the first state-chartered schools in southern Middle Tennessee. Operating under the auspices of the Churches of Christ, the school offered a classical curriculum, and stressed adherence to a strict moral and religious code. While the school thrived under the leadership of presidents such as William Davis Carnes (1850–1858, 1872–1878) and William Newton Billingsley (1890–1911), it struggled to compete for students after the establishment of state colleges and public high schools in the early 20th century. It closed in 1939.[1]
The idea for a school in Spencer was first proposed by Nathan Trogdon, a brick mason who had built the second Van Buren County Courthouse in the town. By the late 1840s, a 12-member board of trustees had been formed with Charles Gillentine as president. In 1848, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a law chartering the institution, which was named in honor of activist Elihu Burritt.[2] Funds for the school were raised from among the residents of White, Warren, and Van Buren counties. When classes began on February 26, 1849, the college had an enrollment of 73 students and employed three teachers.[3]
The first president of the college, Isaac Newton Jones, was a graduate of Irving College in nearby McMinnville. He established the college's curriculum, but left after only one year.[3] His successor, William Davis Carnes, played a critical role in shaping the college's policies, most notably introducing coeducation in 1850 and instituting a strict moral and religious code.[1] The policy allowing coeducation met staunch opposition at first, but Carnes defended it, stating, "It is God's law that the young of the opposite sexes should exert a healthful influence in the formation of each other's characters, and no place is better suited to this purpose than the classroom and lecture room."[3] To alleviate fears, Carnes modified the school's code to bar all communication between the sexes outside classrooms or other supervised events.[3]
Carnes' moral code barred swearing, gambling, smoking and drinking. He struggled to curtail drinking, however, in spite of introducing increasingly stringent measures, including the expulsion of anyone caught in possession of alcoholic beverages. He finally turned to local law enforcement, pleading with them to hunt down moonshiners operating in the Spencer area, and destroy their stills. In an apparent act of retaliation, the president's house and the girls' dormitory were burned in 1857. Disgusted, Carnes resigned to become president at East Tennessee University (the modern University of Tennessee). He was succeeded by John Powell, who had been president of the Central Female Institute in McMinnville.[3]
The college closed at the outset of the Civil War in 1861 as many of its male students left to fight in the Confederate army.[2] The college's relative isolation protected it during the first half of the war, though it was eventually occupied by Union troops.[1] With the help of Carnes, who had returned to the area to escape the horrors of the war, the school briefly reopened in 1864. It was forced to close by the Union Army, however, due to concerns over Confederate guerrilla activity in the area. The Union Army occupants used the main hall as a barracks, and dormitories were converted into stables. The campus grounds were trampled and damaged, and the buildings were left in a state of ruin. At the end of the war, the college's trustees sold part of its campus to raise funds for repairs. With Carnes' help, the school managed to reopen shortly after the close of the war. Martin White, a Burritt graduate remembered by students for having walked the entire distance from his home in North Carolina to Spencer to enroll at the school, was hired as president. Carnes was rehired as president in 1872.[3]
During the 1870s, Thomas Wesley Brents, a physician who had recently relocated to Spencer, offered his assistance to Burritt, and began raising money for the college. With his help, the campus more than doubled in size, and a new administration building was constructed. However, Brents demanded he be made president. This angered Carnes, who resigned in 1878, allowing Brents to take over. During his four-year tenure, Brents increased the college's enrollment and overhauled its curriculum. By the time he had resigned in 1882, however, enrollment had started to decline. In subsequent years, the school struggled financially, and was finally forced to close in 1889. The Board of Trustees considered selling the college's campus, but ultimately decided to reopen the school.[3]
In hopes of reviving the college, the Board hired a Burritt graduate, William Newton Billingsley, as president. Billingsley stabilized the college's finances, and managed to increase enrollment to over two hundred students by the end of the decade.[3] In 1897, the college reported an annual income of $25,000, 164 students, 10 teachers, and three thousand books.[4] The early 1900s were among the most prosperous in the school's history, as enrollment never dipped below 200 during this period.[3]
On March 5, 1906, the college's main building was destroyed by fire. At a meeting the following day, the college's administrators and students agreed to finish the year and make plans to rebuild. Classes were held at the campus church and in private residences until the end of the term. The college was closed for several months while a new building was constructed. In spite of fundraising struggles, the new building was completed in 1907.[3]
Burritt again suffered with enrollment issues following the departure of Billingsley in 1911, due in part to the opening of two state normal schools in the region: Middle Tennessee State in Murfreesboro and Tennessee Polytechnic Institute (modern Tennessee Tech) in Cookeville. The Board struggled to find a permanent president until the hiring of Henry Eugene Scott in 1918. During the 1920s, Scott overhauled the curriculum to bring it more in line with that of a typical preparatory school and junior college, offering courses in agriculture, typing, bookkeeping, and teacher training, as well as high school courses.[3] By the 1930s, Burritt had become dependent on the Van Buren County school board for much of its funding. When the school board decided to build a county high school in 1936,[3] Burritt was no longer able to compete for students. It finally closed in 1939.[1]
List of presidents
Isaac Newton Jones, 1849–1850
William Davis Carnes, 1850–1858
John Powell, 1858–1861
Martin White, 1867–1870
John Powell, 1870–1872
William Davis Carnes, 1872–1878
Thomas Wesley Brents, 1878–82
Aaron Tillman Seitz, 1882–1886
A.G. Thomas, 1886–1887
William Howard Sutton, 1887–1889
William Newton Billingsley, 1890–1911
White Solomon Graves, 1911–1915
Harvey Denson, 1915–1916
Henry Baker Walker, 1916–1917
White Solomon Graves, 1917–1918
Henry Eugene Scott, 1918–1939
Curriculum
Throughout the 19th century, Burritt College provided a classical education, with a core that focused on sciences, philosophy, classical languages, and mastery of the English language. The college held session for two 21-week terms (Fall and Spring) per year. Students were required take at least three, but no more than four, classes per term. Students who completed the curriculum were awarded with a Bachelor of Arts or a Master of Arts.[3]
During its early decades the college was divided into two departments: the "academical" and the "collegiate." Students in the academical department were required to take Latin, mathematics, geography, spelling, writing and history during their first year, with Greek and English composition added in the second. Students in the collegiate department were to take courses in Latin, Greek and mathematics during the first three years, and chemistry, geology, political and moral philosophy, astronomy, "evidences of Christianity," and criticism during their senior year. Electives included French, German, drawing and painting, music, and needlework and embroidery. Anatomy, physiology, botany, and gymnastics were added to the curriculum during the Brents administration. Bible classes were added to the curriculum in the 1910s. By the 1920s, the curriculum focused on more practical trades such as teacher training, bookkeeping, typing, and agriculture.[3]
A typical day during the Carnes and Powell administrations began at 5 A.M., with students initially preparing their rooms for inspection. This was followed by a one-hour study period and a half-hour devotional in the main hall. Classes and recitations were held throughout the remainder of the day, which ended with another half-hour devotional. Students were required to engage in private study for two hours during the evening. Daily chapel attendance was initially mandatory,[3] but this was no longer the case by the 1890s.[4] Students were also required to engage in 30 minutes of calisthenics per day.[3]
Extracurricular activities initially focused on the college's two literary societies: the Philomathesian, founded in 1851, and the Calliopean, founded in 1878. Both societies possessed thousand-volume libraries, and engaged in weekly debates.[3] Athletic programs were eventually added. By the 1920s, Burritt was competing with other regional schools and clubs in baseball, basketball, football, and tennis. The program included women's teams in basketball and tennis.[3]
Location
Burritt College entrance gate
It was located in a primarily rural area, and at first an unincorporated area. The town of Spencer wasn't incorporated until 1909. The town lacked railroad access for most of Burritt's history. A catalog for the college from the early 1900s notes that the nearest railroad station was at Doyle, roughly 9 miles (14km) to the north.[2] The campus's location atop the rugged western Cumberland Plateau affected its culture. A walking trail connected the campus to a cliff at the edge of the Plateau known as "Lover's Leap." Burritt students occasionally took hiking trips to nearby Fall Creek Falls, which they simply called "Big Falls."[2]
The Burritt campus covered around 10 acres at the end of the Civil War, but had expanded to 25 acres by the 1880s.[3] It initially included an administration building, dormitories for men and women, a chapel, and a presidential house. In 1878, the college constructed a new three-story, seventeen-room administration building that featured an 80-foot (24m) by 50-foot (15m) recitation hall. After this building burned in 1906, it was replaced by a building of similar size (three stories and eighteen rooms), but lacking exterior adornments. In the 1920s, the college added a two-story, 36-room building known as "Billingsley Hall," a gymnasium, and a new presidential house.[3]
Burritt's rustic stone entrance gate, which contains the college's name and charter date (1848), still stands facing College Street (TN-30) in Spencer. The old administration building is also still standing. The Burritt Alumni Museum and the Burritt Memorial Library, both of which are open to the public, are now located on the former Burritt campus.
Van Buren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,168, making it the second-least populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Spencer.
Spencer is a town in Van Buren County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,683 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Van Buren County. It is home to Fall Creek Falls State Park.
Central Connecticut State University is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticut's oldest publicly-funded university. It is made up of four schools: the Ammon College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences; the School of Business; the School of Education and Professional Studies; and the School of Engineering, Science, and Technology. As of Spring 2022, the university was attended by 8,898 students: 7,054 undergraduate students and 1,844 graduate students. More than half of students live off campus and 96 percent are Connecticut residents. The school is part of the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system (CSCU), which also oversees Eastern, Western, and Southern Connecticut State Universities.
Bethel University is a private Cumberland Presbyterian-affiliated university in McKenzie, Tennessee with satellite campuses in Jackson, and Paris. It is accredited to award degrees up to the master's level.
The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students.
Knoxville College is an unaccredited private historically black college in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1875 by the United Presbyterian Church of North America. The college is a United Negro College Fund member school.
Bluefield State University is a public historically black university (HBCU) in Bluefield, West Virginia. Despite being an HBCU, Bluefield's undergraduate student body is now over 80% white.
Carson-Newman University is a private university in Jefferson City, Tennessee, United States. Carson-Newman is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. Founded in 1851, the university enrolls about 2,500 students. Studies are offered in approximately 90 different academic programs.
Arkansas Tech University (ATU) is a public university in Russellville, Arkansas, United States. The university offers programs at both baccalaureate and graduate levels in a range of fields. The Arkansas Tech University–Ozark Campus, a two-year satellite campus in the town of Ozark, primarily focuses on associate and certificate education.
Notre Dame High School is a private, Roman Catholic college-preparatory day school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Founded in 1876, it is Chattanooga's oldest private school. The current campus, dedicated in 1966, is located in the Glenwood neighborhood near Memorial Hospital. Notre Dame was the first racially integrated high school in Chattanooga.
Colby–Sawyer College is a private college in New London, New Hampshire. It was founded as a coeducational academy in 1837 and sits on a 200-acre (0.81 km2) campus.
The history of Texas A&M University, the first public institution of higher education in Texas, began in 1871, when the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas was established as a land-grant college by the Reconstruction-era Texas Legislature. Classes began on October 4, 1876. Although Texas A&M was originally scheduled to be established under the Texas Constitution as a branch of the yet-to-be-created University of Texas, subsequent acts of the Texas Legislature never gave the university any authority over Texas A&M. In 1875, the Legislature separated the administrations of A&M and the University of Texas, which still existed only on paper.
A comprehensive regional university today, the University of North Alabama traces its beginnings to the first half of the 19th century, when the Methodist Episcopal Church sought to bring learning and culture to an obscure mountain in Alabama.
St. Edward's High School was a private Roman Catholic institution of higher learning located in south Austin, Texas. The high school was known for offering high quality college preparatory education and for its campus situated on a hill overlooking the city. The campus's most prominent landmark is the recognizable neo-gothic Main Building.
Washington College Academy was a private Presbyterian-affiliated educational institution located in Washington College, Limestone, Tennessee. Founded in 1780 by Doctor of Divinity Samuel Doak, the academy for many years offered accredited college, junior college and college preparatory instruction to day and boarding students, but financial difficulties in the 2000s forced the school to restructure its offerings and focus instead on continuing education courses for adults.
The history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida originated as several distinct institutions that were consolidated to create a single state-supported university by the Buckman Act of 1905. The oldest of these was the East Florida Seminary, one of two seminaries of higher learning established by the Florida Legislature. The East Florida Seminary opened in Ocala 1853, becoming the first state-supported institution of higher learning in the state of Florida. As it is the oldest of the modern University of Florida's predecessor institutions, the school traces its founding date to that year. The East Florida Seminary closed its Ocala campus at the outbreak of the American Civil War and reopened in Gainesville in 1866.
North Georgia College & State University was an institution of higher education that began as a branch of the Georgia College of Agriculture and Mechanical at the University of Georgia in 1873. It was merged in 2013 with Gainesville State College to create the University of North Georgia.
Guadalupe College was a private Baptist college for African Americans in Seguin, Texas. It was established in 1884 and opened officially in 1887. Its founding was chiefly due to the efforts of William B. Ball, who later became its president. David Abner Jr. was president of Guadalupe College from 1891 to 1906, a 15-year tenure during which the college flourished and gained statewide recognition. At its height during his administration, the college had an enrollment of approximately 500 students.
Shimer College was founded in 1852, when the pioneer town of Mt. Carroll, Illinois, lacking a public school, incorporated the Mt. Carroll Seminary with no land, no teachers, and no money for this purpose.
Scarritt College for Christian Workers was a college associated with the United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The campus is now home to Scarritt Bennett Center.
References
1 2 3 4 Tara Mitchell Mielnik, "Burritt College," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: 2 March 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
