Centenary College of Louisiana - Yoncopin Yearbook (Shreveport, LA)

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In February, 1825, the State of Louisiana issued a charter establishing the College of Louisiana, Centen- ary ' s parent institution. The college, located in Jack- son, opened its doors to its first class in January, 1 826, with tuition fees ranging from twenty to thirty dollars per semester. By 1830, enrollment was up to sixty stu- dents, and in spite of yellow fever and limited funds the college continued to increase in size. But its rural loca- tion proved to be a problem, and by 1843 enrollment had dwindled to only forty-six students. While general support for the college was failing, the treasurer absconded to Central America after some rather dubi- ous bookkeeping, leaving the college in financial straits. In the meantime, in honor of the centennial of Meth- odism, the Conference of Louisiana and Mississippi had founded a college named Centenary at Clinton, Mississippi. The trustees of the State college, faced with closing the institution, agreed to transfer its charter to the Methodist Conference in 1845. The two schools were combined and named Centenary College of Louisiana. The change proved to be a positive one, and Centen- ary grew to become an important educational center in the state. It acquired a reputation as a Christian, gentle- man ' s college, and Jackson became known as the lit- tle Athens of Louisiana. In 1851 there were 250 stu- dents enrolled, and the college commencement was attracting thousands of people each year. The large center building with its massive columns was erected in 1857, and housed the library, classrooms, and an audi- torium which would seat two thousand. But the period of prosperity was halted suddenly in 1861 with the outbreak of war. The college was forced to close for lack of students, an action evidenced by a dramatic notation in the faculty minutes. The war brought great damages to the school. The valuable library collection, one of the best in the South, was Faculty minutes 1861 Centenary ' s first women graduates

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Jfgft CENTENARY COLLEGE OF LOUISIANA: 150 YEARS Y € ' ht Center building in Jackson

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