Harris Teachers College
About this property
Harris–Stowe State University (HSSU) is a public historically black university in St. Louis, Missouri. The university offers 50 majors, minors, and certificate programs in education, business, and arts & sciences. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. It is located immediately east of the Saint Louis University campus. The school had a fall headcount enrollment of 1,098 students in 2023. HSSU has roots in more than one institution; one with a White student body, one with a Black student body, one pre-emancipation and the other post-emancipation. Origins of HSSU, pre-emancipation, began 1857 when the St. Louis Public Schools founded St. Louis Normal School, a Whites-only school, and post-emancipation in 1890 as the Sumner Normal School, solely for the preparation of African American women, as elementary school teachers. These institutions had these things in common, they were racially segregated, they were women-only, and all their graduates were school teachers. Although two separate institutions, prior to 1954, for a period of time, John L. Purdom, was president of both institutions during the 1930s. St. Louis Normal School (Harris Teachers College) and Sumner Normal School (Stowe Teachers College) started to admit men in 1940. They merged into a single institution after 1954. In 1857, pre-emancipation, St. Louis Public Schools established a normal school. The St. Louis Normal School was established solely for the preparation of White women as elementary school teachers. This campus was Whites-only. The student body was limited to women-only. Post-emancipation, it was named Harris Teachers College, after William Torrey Harris. The former St. Louis superintendent of schools, he had also served as the United States Commissioner of Education, during the late 19th to early 20th century, 1889-1906. Pre-emancipation, 1863, Anna Brackett became principal of the school. It was the first normal school led by a woman in the United States. During her tenure, Brackett worked to ensure female students had access to higher education and liberal studies as preparation for professional teaching. She made two proposals to the Board of Education that were eventually adopted. Her proposal was an age requirement for entrance to the school. Another proposal, there should be an entrance exam for admission. In 1872, Brackett resigned as principal. There were changes in the curriculum that went against her beliefs. In 1920, Harris Teachers College became a four-year undergraduate institution authorized to grant a Bachelor of Arts in Education Degree. In 1890, St. Louis Public Schools established the Sumner Normal School to train Black teachers in St. Louis. In 1924, Sumner Normal School was authorized to issue a four-year Bachelor of Arts in Education degree.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Harris Teachers College listed on the National Register?
Harris Teachers College was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 3, 2004.
What type of historic resource is Harris Teachers College?
Harris Teachers College is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Harris Teachers College?
The period of significance for Harris Teachers College is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Harris Teachers College?
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