Centenary State Commemorative Area - Jackson, LA






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Overview

Stately, slender pine trees tower over the now-quiet green grounds of old Centenary College. The school was a center of activity in the mid-1800s as college students hurried from class to class, recited their lessons or played outdoor games.

Time and circumstances have altered Centenary College of Louisiana forever, yet a glimpse of its character is still evident on its beautiful campus.

Originally opened as the College of Louisiana in 1826, the school occupied an old courthouse and other buildings in the town of Jackson. The college steadily grew and two dormitories were built on new property in 1832 and 1837. The West Wing, the latter of these two buildings, remains today.

After less than 20 years, the College of Louisiana closed because of declining enrollment. Suffering similar problems was the Methodist/Episcopal-operated Centenary College at Brandon Springs, Mississippi (established in 1839).

Centenary then moved to the vacant campus of the College of Louisiana. Since the all-male student bodies of the two institutions were effectively combined, the school succeeded with the name Centenary College of Louisiana now owned and operated by the Methodist/Episcopal Church South. At its peak, shortly before the Civil War, some 250 students and 11 faculty members occupied the campus.

The Main Academic Building, built between 1856 and 1858, gives an idea of scholarly life at Centenary. It housed lecture and recitation rooms for lessons in history, Greek, Latin, French, Spanish, English, logic, rhetoric and philosophy. Laboratories provided for chem- istry, anatomy and science studies, while an observatory was used for astronomy lessons. Surveying, engineering and Christian studies were also taught on the campus. The Main Academic Building also contained a gymnasium, a 3,000-volume library, and a chapel/auditorium which seated 2,000 people.

Civil War Closes College


The Civil War had a profound effect on Centenary College, as it did on most Southern colleges. The school closed for the duration of the war and its buildings were used by both Confederate and Union troops. The dormitories became hospital space in October 1862 and during the seige of Port Hudson in 1863 and Union troops used the Main Academic Building as an area headquarters.

Centenary College reopened after the war, but with repairs needed and low enrollment, it was unable to regain its former prosperity. In 1908, searching for a wider student population base, Centenary College moved to Shreveport, where it remains today. The Main Academic Building and the East Wing dormitory were demolished in the 1930s; only the West Wing and a professor's house still stand.

Centenary State Historic Site now honors education throughout Louisiana. Student life and society in the nineteenth century are captured on this once-thriving and prestigious campus. The professor's house, an original faculty building, introduces visitors to Centenary College. From there visitors can stroll about the campus toward the West Wing dormitory, which houses exhibits and displays focusing on student life and education in Louisiana.

The Centenary College Cemetery

During the fall of 1862, a Confederate convalescent hospital was set up at Centenary College to accommodate the overflow patients from Port Hudson and Clinton hospitals. The sources emphasize that this is the time that the Civil War cemetery east of the Main Academic building was created. The existing ledger records that the last soldiers were sent to the Centenary Hospital from Port Hudson Hospital on May 19, 1863. According to the archaeological investigations conducted by LSU, Department of Geography and Archaeology, during the Civil War, both the Confederate and Union forces occupied the college on various occasions. However, there is little evidence if the Union troops used the cemetery. The survey indicates that as many as 75 individuals may be buried at the cemetery.

In 1979 Centenary State Historic Site was added to the National Register of Historic Places, an honorary designation for significant historic sites.

Activities & Amenities

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