Jacksonville College

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Jacksonville College, standing in Cherokee County. Pull up a chair, because this one starts with a society, a spring morning, and a dream that could outgrow a whole town before the leaves turned. In the spring of 1899, the East Texas Educational Society came together with one clear purpose: establish and maintain a Baptist college in East Texas, one that would offer academic and cultural training wrapped in a religious influence.

Now, when a group like that sets its sights on a location, they think practically. Jacksonville had something most towns could only envy. Three railroad lines and good roads.

Three. That kind of convenient transportation was hard to argue with, and the Society didn't argue. They chose Jacksonville.

Property on this very site was purchased in July 1899, and work began promptly on the first building. And when that structure was finished, it was the tallest building in Jacksonville. Let that settle.

A brand-new college, barely out of the ground, already reachin' higher than everything else in town. Come fall of 1899, the college opened its doors. Not in the tall new building yet, mind you, but in a temporary space, welcoming 34 students.

Then in November, they moved into that newly completed facility. By the end of that first session, enrollment had climbed to 85. Thirty-four became eighty-five in a matter of months.

The first president was the Reverend J. V. Vermillion, who had previously served as president of East Texas Baptist College in Rusk.

Among those first students in the graduating class was a young man named B. J. Albritton, who would one day become president of Jacksonville College himself.

The school offered a bachelor of arts degree, leaning hard into Greek, Latin, and math, alongside Biblical and Christian studies. In 1904, the East Texas Educational Society proposed to hand control of the college over to the Baptist Missionary Association. That transfer wasn't accepted until 1908, but it stuck, and the school grew steadily throughout the twentieth century.

The original 1899 structure, long known and loved as Old Main, was razed in 1968. New, modern structures went up as the college needed them. By 1998, Jacksonville College was still thrivng, still following in the footsteps of those founders who gathered one spring and decided East Texas needed something tall, something lasting, something reaching toward the sky.

What the marker says

The East Texas Educational Society was formed in the spring of 1899 to establish and maintain a Baptist college in East Texas which would provide academic and cultural training with a religious influence. The group chose Jacksonville for the college because of the convenient transportation offered by three railroad lines and good roads. Property on this site was purchased in July 1899, and work began promptly on the first building. When finished, the structure was the tallest building in Jacksonville. The college opened its doors to 34 students in a temporary space in the fall of 1899, taking up residence in its newly completed facility in November. By the end of the first session enrollment had reached 85. The first Jacksonville College president was the Rev. J. V. Vermillion, former president of East Texas Baptist College in Rusk. Among the first students in the graduating class was future Jacksonville College President B. J. Albritton. The school offered a bachelor of arts degree, placing a strong emphasis on Greek, Latin and math, as well as Biblical and Christian studies. The East Texas Educational Society proposed to transfer control of the college to the Baptist Missionary Association in 1904; in 1908 the transfer was accepted. The school grew steadily throughout the 20th century. The original 1899 structure long referred to as "Old Main" was razed in 1968. New, modern structures were erected as needed. In 1998, Jacksonville College continued to thrive, following in the footsteps of its founders with a program of religious and academic study.(1999)