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Centenary College (Brandon Springs, Mississippi) clippings

 Collection
Identifier: SC-Cent. Misc. Mss. 536

Scope and Contents

Collection consists of digital facsimile printouts of newspaper clippings about Centenary College while it existed in Brandon Springs, Mississippi. Also included is an inventory containing brief notes and citations for the clippings. The clippings include advertisements, announcements, articles, editorials, letters about the college, and descriptions of the campus property.

Various clippings from October 1841 to July 1843 document the challenges of incorporating the college and having its charter approved by Mississippi’s legislators and governor. Articles from November 1841 provide details about the college’s opening ceremony and include the full text of the inaugural address given by James A. Dodd, professor of mathematics. A detailed description of the campus and its faculty appear in a published letter written by college president Thomas C. Thornton (1842 May 5). Lengthy articles exist about the graduation and commencement exercises held each July; this includes the full text of college president Thornton’s inaugural address given at the college’s first commencement (1842 July). The only known drawing/engraving of the campus appears with a detailed description of its buildings (1843 August 25). Additional topics include: Brandon Mineral Springs advertisements (1838-1841), reactions to Thornton’s proslavery publications and views (1841-1844), Centenary students establishing a Temperance Society (1842 November - December), rumors about overcrowded classes (1842 December - 1843 January), tornado damage on campus (1843 July), student resolutions in memory of deceased classmates (1843), claims that the college was endangered by the politics of the administration (1843 October - November), and a student riot (1844 December).

Dates

  • 1838 - 1845

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Physical rights are retained by the Centenary College of Louisiana Archives and Special Collections. Copyright is retained in accordance with U.S. copyright laws.

Biographical / Historical

In 1838, the Mississippi Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church voted to build and endow Centenary College in honor of the one hundredth anniversary of Methodism occurring in 1839. In 1840, the Mississippi Conference named Centenary's board of trustees. Centenary advertised that its preparatory department would open in April 1841 in Clinton, Mississippi. A few months later, the institution announced a new location, located about 30 miles east, in Brandon Springs. The new property and buildings had previously served as Brandon Mineral Springs, a mineral spa facility. The college began holding classes at this new location in November 1841. Thomas C. Thornton served as Centenary College’s president from 1841 to 1844; David Olcott Shattuck served as Centenary’s president pro tem beginning in 1844. In 1845, the trustees and the Mississippi Conference chose to move Centenary to the campus of the recently-closed College of Louisiana (Jackson, La.).

Extent

6 Folders

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Collection assembled by Chris Brown (Centenary College of Louisiana archivist) and Michael Hyatt (archives student worker) in 2023.

Title
Finding Aid to the Centenary College (Brandon Springs, Mississippi) clippings
Author
Michael Hyatt and Chris Brown
Date
2023
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Centenary College of Louisiana Archives and Special Collections Repository

Contact:
2911 Centenary Blvd.
Shreveport LA 71104 US
(318) 869-5462