Swayne Hall is the oldest building on the campus of
Talladega College
Talladega College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black college in Talladega, Alabama. It is Alabama's oldest private historically black college and offers 17 degree programs. It is accred ...
in
Talladega,
Talladega County,
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. It was built in 1857 by
slaves
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
for use by a Baptist men's college. It was designated a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
in 1974 for Talladega College's role as one of the few
historically black colleges and universities
Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...
to maintain a
liberal arts
Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...
focus.
It was the only liberal arts college open to black Americans in Alabama for many years.
Description and history
Swayne Hall occupies a central position on the campus of Talladega College, set north of West Brattle Street and east of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. It is a three-story masonry structure, built out of brick and covered by a gabled roof. Its main facade is dominated by a full-height projecting portico, with four fluted Doric columns supporting an entablature and pedimented gable. There are cast-iron balconies on the second and third floors.
The building was constructed in 1857 for a
Baptist
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
men's college, in part by the use of slave labor provided by the subscribers who underwrote its construction. It was acquired by the American Missionary Association in 1867 when it founded Talladega College.
The building is named for
General Wager Swayne, a
Union Army general during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
who also served as the appointed military
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
during the early days of
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...
, serving from 1867 to 1868.
Talladega College is one of a small number of
historically black colleges and universities
Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...
(HBCUs) that resisted trends of the late 19th and early 20th century to focus the education of African Americans on vocations, and maintained a focus on the liberal arts. For many years it was the only school in Alabama at which African Americans could get an undergraduate education, and was one of the most successful HBCUs at sending its students on to graduate-level programs.
See also
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in Alabama
The National Historic Landmarks in Alabama represent History of Alabama, Alabama's history from the precolonial era, through the American Civil War, Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Space Age. There are 39 National Historic Landmarks ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Talladega County, Alabama
References
External links
*
{{National Register of Historic Places
National Historic Landmarks in Alabama
National Register of Historic Places in Talladega County, Alabama
African-American history of Alabama
Historic American Buildings Survey in Alabama
University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama
1857 establishments in Alabama
University and college buildings completed in 1857