Leland College was founded in 1870 as a college for blacks in New Orleans, Louisiana, but was open to all races.[2] After its original buildings burned in 1923, it was relocated near Baker, Louisiana. Never accredited, the school closed in 1960 because of financial difficulties.[3]
Leland College | |
   | |
| Location | Off Groom Road, about 0.83 miles (1.34 km) west of Baker |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Baker, Louisiana |
| Coordinates | 30°35′34″N 91°10′53″W / 30.59269°N 91.18136°W |
| Area | 20.9 acres (8.5 ha) |
| Built | 1923 |
| NRHP reference No. | 82000433[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 10, 1982 |
The 20.9 acres (8.5 ha) area of the Baker campus, comprising four contributing properties and one non-contributing building, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 1982.[1][4][5]
The college facilities had become derelict by the time of listing. In the early 21st century, only the ruins of the two dormitories can be seen faintly through trees. The frame classroom, the president's house, and the concrete classroom all disappeared at some time.
Holbrook Chamberlain, a philanthropist from Brooklyn established the school. He bought the land and built the school buildings. John Elijah Ford served as the school’s president.[6]
Notable alumni
edit- Abraham Lincoln Davis, 1949[7]
- John W. Joseph, first black mayor of Opelousas, Louisiana[8]
- Eddie Robinson, former Grambling State University head football coach, class of 1941
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ Leland College Archived 2009-03-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Baker's long-gone Leland College was Uptown New Orleans' first university". December 4, 2020.
- ^ "Leland College" (PDF). State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation. Retrieved May 9, 2018. with three photos and two maps
- ^ National Register Staff (October 1981). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form: Leland College". National Park Service. Retrieved May 9, 2018. With nine photos from 1981.
- ^ Richardson, Clement (1919). The National Cyclopedia of the Colored Race – via Google Books.
- ^ "Four-Way Split: Too Many Factions Negate Louisiana Race Vote Power". The Pittsburgh Courier. February 7, 1959. Retrieved September 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "John W. Joseph, Opelousas' first black mayor, to be laid to rest tomorrow". November 10, 2017.
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