The Howe Institute was an African-American private Baptist primary and grammar school in operation from to 1933 in

New Iberia, Louisiana New Iberia (french: La Nouvelle-Ibérie; es, Nueva Iberia) is the largest city in and parish seat of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, Iberia Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The city of New Iberia is located approximately southeast of Lafayette, L ...

. The founding president of the school was Jonas Henderson. A historical marker for the school is located at the Iberia Parish Court Building in New Iberia.

History

The Wakefield Institute in New Iberia was an African-American private college that preceded Howe Institute. It closed in 1874 after damage from a tornado. There is debate on the date of founding of the Howe Institute, some sources state it was opened in 1888, and others state it was either 1890 or 1896. The campus was located between Washington, Iberia, Madison, and Providence streets (present day 300 Iberia Street) in New Iberia. The founding president/principal of the Howe Institute was Jonas Henderson, and a sponsor for the school was the Union 6th District Missionary Baptist Association. The school opening was financed by the St. Paul Congregational Church (now known as Church of Jesus Christ New Iberia) under the church leadership of

Byron Gunner Rev. Byron Gunner (1857–1922) was an American minister, educator, newspaper publisher, and civil rights activist. He was one of the seventeen African-American founders of the Niagara Movement, representing Rhode Island. Early life and educati ...

, with assistance of 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 ...

and with an endowment from philanthropist Peter Howe of Illinois. Prior to moving to New Iberia, principal Jonas Henderson had been a professor and the chair of the mathematics and history departments at

Leland University Leland College was founded in 1870 as a college for blacks in New Orleans, Louisiana, but was open to all races. With . The college facilities had become derelict by the time of listing. In the early 21st century, only the ruins of the two dormi ...

in New Orleans. In 1896, the enrollment was 85 students, and the school offered student boarding. In the 1890s the school operated as a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

and

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

. On April 14, 1915,

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...

, visited Howe Institute as a part of his historic tour of Black schools in Louisiana; this speaking engagement brought thousands of people together in attendance. The Howe campus had served as a temporary refugee camp for Black citizens following the 1927 flood. In 2021, the Iberia African American Historical Society (IAAHS) sponsored the creation of the Howe Institute Historical Marker in New Iberia. An older version of the Howe Institute Historical Marker existed in the same location, but it did not include details about the historical impacts.

References

External links

“The Second Side” A Historical Retelling of African American History in Iberia Parish
exhibition and sound clips from the

Shadows-on-the-Teche Shadows-on-the-Teche is an American historic house, garden, and cemetery. Formerly a working sugar cane plantation with enslaved labor, it is located in New Iberia, Louisiana, United States. Built in 1834 for planter, David Weeks (1786–1834) ...

{{Authority control African-American history of Louisiana Educational institutions established in 1888 Schools in Iberia Parish, Louisiana Educational institutions disestablished in 1933 Historically segregated African-American schools in Louisiana New Iberia, Louisiana 1888 establishments in Louisiana 1930s disestablishments in Louisiana Defunct Baptist schools in the United States