LeMoyne Normal Institute was a school for African Americans in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. Alumni include Bert M. Roddy. It was a predecessor to LeMoyne-Owen College. LeMoyne Normal and Commercial School was founded in 1862 when 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 ...

(AMA) sent Lucinda Humphrey to open an elementary school at Camp Shiloh (Tennessee) for free blacks and escaped slaves. This was one of more than ten schools founded by the AMA, an integrated organization led by black and white Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian ministers. In 1909 it was located at 240 South Orleans. The school was established soon after the occupation of Memphis by Federal troops during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. The soldiers were based at Camp Shiloh to the south of the city limits. First known as Lincoln Chapel, the school was relocated into Memphis proper in 1863. In 1866 it was destroyed during the 1866 riots by white residents of Memphis that broke out following the withdrawal of federal troops. The school was rebuilt and reopened in 1867 with 150 students and six teachers. In 1870,

Francis Julius LeMoyne Francis Julius LeMoyne (September 4, 1798 – October 14, 1879) was a 19th-century American medical doctor and philanthropist from Washington, Pennsylvania. Responsible for creating the first Cremation, crematory in the United States, he was als ...

(1798-1879), a Washington, Pennsylvania doctor, donated $20,000 to the American Missionary Association to build an elementary and secondary school for prospective teachers. LeMoyne, who was a notable abolitionist, traveled from his Pennsylvania home to visit the new school. He donated a clock for the school's tower. Following a

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

epidemic in 1873 that hit Memphis and the school hard, its third principal, Andrew J. Steele, oversaw three decades of growth and development. In 1914 the school moved from Orleans Street to its present site on Walker Avenue. Steele Hall, the first building on the new campus, was erected that same year. LeMoyne became a junior college in 1924. After developing a four-year curriculum, it became a four-year college in 1930.

Alumni

Green Polonius Hamilton Green Polonius Hamilton (1867–1932) was an American educator, principal, and author who was prominent in the African Americans, African-American community of Memphis, Tennessee. Hamilton was born in Memphis and graduated from LeMoyne Normal Inst ...

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{{coord missing, Tennessee Schools in Memphis, Tennessee

Alumni

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