Eckstein Norton Institute

Eckstein Norton Institute
Location
Cane Spring (now Lotus), Bullitt County, Kentucky, U.S.
Coordinates37°55′21″N 85°34′50″W / 37.922473°N 85.580510°W / 37.922473; -85.580510
Information
Other nameEckstein Norton University
School typePrivate Vocational African American
Established1890
FoundersWilliam J. Simmons
Charles H. Parrish

Eckstein Norton Institute was a private vocational school for African American students founded in 1890 in the rural town of Cane Spring (now Lotus) in Bullitt County, Kentucky, 30 miles south of Louisville, Kentucky.[1] In 1912, the school merged into the Lincoln Institute in Shelby County, Kentucky. It was also known as Eckstein Norton University.

History

Dr. William J. Simmons and the Rev. Charles H. Parrish helped organized the school.[2][3] In 1890, the school opened as Eckstein Norton Institute, named for donor Eckstein Norton (1831–1893), the president of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad.[3] In the first year of operations William J. Simmons died, and Charles H. Parrish assumed the role of principal.[3][4][5][6]

It was located in the rural town of Cane Spring (sometimes written as Cane Springs; now Lotus) in Bullitt County, Kentucky, 30 miles south of Louisville, Kentucky.[7][4][8] The 75 acres (30 ha) campus was near the Cane Springs Depot on the railroad line from Bardstown Junction running eastward. It had a brick main building with twenty-five rooms, five frame buildings with twenty rooms for dormitories and assembly halls, a printing office, and a laundry and blacksmith shop.[3][9][10] The school offered classes in shorthand, literary studies, science classes, music, photography, oil painting, business classes, dressmaking, cooking, telegraphy, printing, poultry raising, sericulture, cabinetmaking, tailoring, and carpentry.[11]

Teacher Harriet Gibbs Marshall ran the music program at the school, and Mary Virginia Cook Parrish taught Latin and mathematics.[3] Eckstein Norton Institute was known for their music conservatory, and it was the first music program in the United States led by Black teachers.[4][12]

On January 24, 1892, the main campus building was burned down from a fire started in the flue on the upper floor.[13][14] By September 1892, a new building was completed to replace the main campus building.[15]

"The accommodations are not adequate to the demands upon them," reported the Courier-Journal in 1902.[3]

Merger and historical marker

The Day Law in Kentucky passed in 1904, which was a mandated racial segregation for educational institutions in the state, and designated "An Act to Prohibit White and Colored Persons from Attending the Same School." This was a law specifically aimed at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky which at the time was the only racially integrated college.[3][16] As a result, the trustees of Berea College raised the funds to open a separate school for African American students, and the land was purchased near Simpsonville, Kentucky to form Lincoln Institute.[3][17] In 1909, discussions began around the idea of a merger between Eckstein Norton Institute and the new Lincoln Institute, which was finalized in 1912.[3][4]

In 2024, the former Eckstein Norton Institute campus property was rediscovered, and a Kentucky State Highway Marker was added.[7][18][19]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Historic marker honors Eckstein Norton University's legacy in Bullitt County". WDRB. October 19, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  2. ^ Dunn, Sam (2024). ""The Only Prize Worth Contending For": Two African American Educators and the Establishment of Eckstein Norton University". Ohio Valley History. 24 (1): 3–16. ISSN 2377-0600.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hartley, Charles (February 21, 2014). "Bullitt Memories: Eckstein Norton Institute". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 13, 2025 – via The Bullitt County History Museum.
  4. ^ a b c d "Eckstein Norton Institute". The Courier-Journal. February 12, 2009. pp. B5. Retrieved July 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Eckstein Norton Institute To Keep "Simmon's Day"". The Courier-Journal. April 19, 1908. p. 14. Retrieved July 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Bitter Contest". The Courier-Journal. December 4, 1905. p. 2. Retrieved July 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b "Eckstein Norton University". Bullitt County Historical Markers. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  8. ^ "Colored Colleges". Lexington Herald-Leader. April 21, 1909. p. 2. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  9. ^ "Colored Students Build Dormitory". The Louisville Herald. November 21, 1907. p. 5. Retrieved July 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Rural Trade School". The Afro-American. February 27, 1909. p. 3. Retrieved July 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Eckstein Norton University". The Appeal. January 2, 1892. p. 3. Retrieved July 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Eckstein-Norton Institute Musical Company". Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (NKAA). Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  13. ^ "Article clipped from The Appeal". The Appeal. February 13, 1892. p. 2. Retrieved July 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Fired by a Flue". Weekly Courier-Journal. January 25, 1892. p. 8. Retrieved July 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Dedication". The Appeal. September 17, 1892. p. 1. Retrieved July 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Richard Allen Heckman and Betty Jean Hall. "Berea College and the Day Law." Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 66.1 (1968): 35–52. in JSTOR Archived 2016-10-07 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ Smith, Gerald L.; McDaniel, Karen Cotton; Hardin, John A. (August 28, 2015). The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 41–42. ISBN 978-0-8131-6066-5.
  18. ^ Thomas, Stephen (October 24, 2024). "Discovering a part of history: Family uncovers site of former college facility". PMG-KY1.com The Pioneer News. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  19. ^ "Historical marker being dedicated to Eckstein Norton University". whas11.com. October 18, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.