Rust University, Holly Springs, Mississippi

Authors

Files

Description

This postcard features a color illustration of a building on the Rust University campus in Holly Springs, Mississippi. The building is a five story building with a tower on the left and a dome on the right. Another, smaller building is to the right and trees are in the front and to the side of the buildings. The title of the card is printed in the upper left of image. Rust College was established in 1866 by the Freedman’s Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Its founders were missionaries from the North who opened a school in Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church, accepting adults of all ages, as well as children, for instruction in elementary subjects. A year later the first building on the present campus was erected. In 1870, the school was chartered as Shaw University, honoring the Reverend S.O. Shaw, who made a gift of $10,000 to the new institution. In 1892, the name was changed to Rust University to avoid confusion with another Shaw University. The name was a tribute to Richard S. Rust of Cincinnati, Ohio, Secretary of the Freedman’s Aid Society. In 1915, the title was changed to the more realistic name, Rust College. As students progressed, high school and college courses were added to the curriculum, and in 1878 two students were graduated from the college department. As public schools for African Americans became more widespread, the need for private schools decreased, and in 1930 the grade school was discontinued. The high school continued to function until 1953.

Subjects

Postcards; Private universities and colleges; Historically Black colleges and universities

Keywords

Rust University; Historically Black Colleges; Holly Springs, MS

Geographic Location

Holly Springs, (Miss.)

Object Type

image

Format (original)

postcard

Format (digital)

PDF

Digital ID

MFM_MSS_837_Postcard-Rust-University-Holly-Springs_001

Source

Mississippi State University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, Manuscripts Unit, Lucius Marion Lampton, MD Historical Images Collection, Mississippiana Collection, Postcard/Photographs, Box 4, Northeast Mississippi Region

Repository

Manuscripts

Digital Publisher

Mississippi State University Libraries (electronic version)

Rights

Copyright protected by Mississippi State University Libraries. Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required.

Contact Information

For more information about the contents of this collection, email sp_coll@library.MSState.edu.

Recommended Citation

Rust University, Holly Springs, Mississippi, Lucius Marion Lampton, MD Historical Images Collection, Special Collections Department, Mississippi State University