  North Texas Baptist College and
Seminary, in Denison, a college for African Americans, opened on October 4,
1921; the school was located in the former building of Burleson School.
  It was sponsored by the Northwestern Baptist Association and was housed in a three-story brick structure at Armstrong and Johnson streets. The Rev. Allen R. Griggs, moderator of the association for twenty years, had become pastor of Hopewell Baptist Church in Denison just two years earlier and worked for the school's establishment. Griggs served as dean until his death in 1922, and Hopewell was the "college church." Griggs's son Sutton E. Griggs, an author and a minister himself, was also associated with North Texas Baptist and preached at the first commencement in 1922, when nine students graduated. Like many private colleges of the previous era, North Texas Baptist offered grammar and high school classes, as well as college level. Its ministerial students received the bachelor of theology degree. Most students were from Denison, which had a large black population because of the railroads; others came primarily from communities across North Texas, including Fort Worth, Plano, Sulphur Springs, and Corsicana.  B. J. Brown, the first president of North Texas Baptist, served from 1921 until his death in the spring of 1924. Among the college's graduates in 1924 were a California state attorney, the pastor of the New York Baptist Church, and the co-owner of a St. Louis (Missouri) sanitarium. The school was well known among Texas blacks and took pride in the support it received "from Denison's entire citizenship."  LITTLE KNOWN DENISON COLLEGE PROVIDE EDUCATION FOR BLACKS Donna Hunt, City Editor Almost since its beginning Denison has been blessed with good schools. Most have been well documented through the years, but recently a yearbook, "The Campus Chronicle," from an until now little known school surfaced through Martin Smith, President of the Black Chamber of Commerce. The North Texas Baptist College and Seminary opened its doors on October 4, 1921, a "calm, peaceful, autumnal day, radiant with the sunshine of hope, cheer and joyous promise" in the old Burleson school building at 800 West Johnson. Burleson and Stevens schools had been closed in1 917 when Central Ward School was built and readies for a 1918 opening. The North Texas Baptist College and Seminary, for black students, is listed first in the 1921 Denison City Directory at 717 North Armstrong. Dr. B.J. Brown, D.D., was president and Rev. A.R. Griggs was Dean. It was listed last in the 1927-1928 city director with Joe Wilson as President. Smith's copy of the yearbook was published by the class of 1924 and lists Dr. P.R. Neil, A.M., D.D., as Dean. The book includes a memorial to Dr. Brown, who died after the Campus Chronicle had gone to press. S. Wesley Mims was the first student to enroll at the school with Raymond Wims (similar name) as the second. This similarity is said to have caused much confusion. While men and women enrolled, the class history relates that "some of the young ladies were stricken with the matrimonial fever and succumbed." With not more than 50 students in the entire school, activities were limited, but class histories and prophesies related the good time and closeness felt by the classmates. It is assumed that Hopewell Baptist Church played a hand in the school since 2 photographs of the church are listed in the book, along with the official church roster. Advertisements in the back of the book were from such businesses as Newsom's Dry Goods Store, City Bottling Co., manufacturers of high grade soda water at 210 West Owings, R.M. Noe Drugs, Jennings Furniture Co., Mamola and Magnolia Clothiers and Furnishers at 407 West Main, The State National Bank of Denison, Pappy Syl's Barbecue Stand, The Sanitary Grocery at 422 North Houston, Snow White Laundry and Dye Plant, Esler Pain and Paper Company, and many others. D. Edwin Johnson was editor-in-chief and courses taught included music and matron, history and English, home economics and mathematics and Latin and science. First theological graduates received B. Th. Degrees from the college were G.B. Williams, W. James Cobb, Wesley C. Coleman and D. Edwin Johnson, who also was valedictorian. Students came from as far away as Marshall, Ft. Worth, Gainesville, Hope, Arkansas, Mineola, Dallas, Naples, Plano, Mount Vernon, and other cities. Freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior class photos are shown, but there also are 7th grade and 6th and 4th grades included, most from out of town. The home economics department was praised as having promise of becoming one of the strongest departments in the school, and in 1924 the school enrolled 12 young men for the first time in its history. With the idea that all work and no play was not good for the students, an Athletic Club was born during the first year of the school's existence with W.J. Cobb as president. During the first year a basketball and lawn tennis court was laid out and a baseball team was organized with Carl Cobb as captain and the star pitcher for the season.  North Texas Baptist closed in 1926, probably for financial
reasons. The college building has long since been razed. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Donna Hunt, "Little-Known Denison College Provided Education for Blacks," Denison Herald, March 4, 1984 Denison Herald, May 11, May 14, May 18, 1922. Grayson County Frontier Village, History of Grayson County, Texas (2 vols., Winston-Salem, North Carolina: Hunter, 1979, 1981). Sherrie S. McLeRoy, "NORTH TEXAS BAPTIST COLLEGE AND SEMINARY," Handbook of Texas Online. accessed December 06, 2014. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.  Schools Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |