Emerson Institute was a school for African American students in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

. It was established after the American Civil War in 1865 by the

Freedmen's Bureau The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, usually referred to as simply the Freedmen's Bureau, was an agency of early Reconstruction, assisting freedmen in the South. It was established on March 3, 1865, and operated briefly as a ...

. It was operated by the

American Missionary Association The American Missionary Association (AMA) was a Protestant-based abolitionist group founded on in Albany, New York. The main purpose of the organization was abolition of slavery, education of African Americans, promotion of racial equality, and ...

(A.M.A.) and opened in 1866.

History

Originally located in the "Blue College" on Government Street, in 1877 it was relocated to 266 Scott Street after a fire. In 1927 it became a Mobile County public school. According to the historical marker commemorating its history, "Many of its students had careers of local and national distinction." After desegregation, the school closed in 1970 and the buildings demolished as part of an

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

program in Mobile. A historical marker commemorates the school's site on Scott Street. Tulane University has a photo of a visitor from the A.M.A. with the school's faculty. Another photo shows people from the school outside with a dog. A 1909 commencement program is extant and available online. A 1909-10 school catalogue also survives. An "illustrated essay" from the school's principal A. T. Burnell with photos and descriptions of the school and its history also survives.

References

Defunct schools in Alabama Defunct black public schools in the United States that closed when schools were integrated Schools in Mobile, Alabama {{Alabama-school-stub