DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about St. John Orphanage and Industrial Institute, up in Travis County. Now, some stories start with a vision, and this one's no different.
The St. John Regular Missionary Baptist Association — founded by a man named Rev. Jacob Fontaine — was a conference of historically African American Baptist congregations spread across Central Texas.
Under the leadership of Rev. Lee Lewis Campbell, that association did something bold. They bought 306 acres of land, four miles north of downtown Austin, and on that land they set out to build something that hadn't existed for their community in any real way: a home for orphans, and a school.
Construction of the main building finished in 1909. And here's where the story takes its first hard turn — around the time of its opening, the building burned down. Just like that.
Before the doors could barely swing open for the children it was built to serve. But they didn't walk away. Austin architect John Andrewartha rebuilt that orphanage building, and it was completed in 1910.
One year later, it stood again. By 1915, five additional buildings had gone up to handle a growing number of students. And what those students were being taught — well, that's worth sitting with for a moment.
The Industrial Institute served students from first grade all the way through the senior year of college. The curriculum ran from math, English, and chemistry to industrial, domestic, and agricultural classes. This wasn't a narrow institution.
It was reaching for everything. And the reach extended well beyond its walls. In the summer of 1915, St.
John Industrial Institute held its annual summer school program — two thousand students. Two thousand. And during annual summer encampments held on those same grounds, the institute hosted mass lectures and gatherings with as many as fifteen thousand people in attendance.
Topics covered farming techniques, Bible, sociology — and the guest lecturers were not small names. In 1911, Booker T. Washington himself stood on that land and spoke.
Fifteen thousand people, four miles north of downtown Austin, gathered around ideas and community and the possibility of something better. Let that picture settle. Then came the Great Depression.
The orphanage and school had been supported by the sale of crops grown right there on those 306 acres. When agricultural prices fell and families left for cities to find work, the income dried up. The institute and orphanage closed in 1942.
And in 1956, the main building — the one that had already been rebuilt once — burned down again. In a mysterious fire. The land was sold to developers.
Homes went up. Commercial buildings followed. And in 1971, Highland Mall opened at that same site.
But stories have a way of circling back. In 2011, the Austin Community College District purchased the property for its Highland Campus — returning the land, as the marker puts it, to its original educational and community purposes. Same ground.
Same four miles north of downtown Austin. A century apart, and still a place where people come to learn. Rev.
Jacob Fontaine and Rev. Lee Lewis Campbell might've found that fitting.
What the marker says
The St. John Regular Missionary Baptist Association, founded by Rev. Jacob Fontaine, was a conference of historically African American Baptist congregations in Central Texas. Under the leadership of the Rev. Lee Lewis Campbell, the association bought 306 acres of land four miles north of downtown Austin and established an orphans home and school. Construction of the main building was finished in 1909. Around the time of its opening, the building burned down. The orphanage building was reconstructed by Austin architect John Andrewartha and completed in 1910. By 1915, five additional buildings were constructed to accommodate the growing number of students. At that time, the Industrial Institute served first grade through the senior year of college. The curriculum included academic subjects such as math, English and chemistry. The institute also taught industrial, domestic and agricultural classes. In 1915, the St. John Industrial Institute held its annual summer school program with 2,000 students. The institute also held mass lectures and gatherings during annual summer encampments with as many as 15,000 people in attendance on the grounds. These sessions covered topics such as farming techniques, Bible and sociology with guest lecturers, including Booker T. Washington in 1911. The orphanage and school began to decline with the onset of the Great Depression. Since they were supported by the sale of crops grown on the land, a decline in agricultural prices and families leaving to find work in cities led to the eventual closure of the institute and orphanage in 1942. In 1956, the main building burned down in a mysterious fire, and the land was sold to developers for construction of homes and commercial buildings. In 1971, Highland Mall opened at this site. In 2011, the Austin Community College District purchased the property for its Highland Campus, returning the land to its original educational and community purposes. (2019)