| Luther College | |
|---|---|
United States | |
| Information | |
| School type | Historically blacksecondary school,normal school, andseminary |
| Religious affiliation | Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America |
| Established | 1903 |
| Closed | 1925 |
| Gender | Co-ed |
Luther College was aprivateblack school inNew Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It was established by theEvangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America in 1903 as part of the conference'smissionary work amongAfrican Americans in theSouthern United States following theAmerican Civil War. The school was founded the same year asImmanuel Lutheran College inConcord, North Carolina, and both schools had the same three departments: asecondary school, anormal school, and aseminary.
In 1910, the school closed its seminary, having graduated only one student in that department. In 1925, the conference closed the college, citing the lack of its seminary and the high estimated cost required for new school buildings. Funds for the college were diverted to theAlabama Lutheran College inSelma, Alabama, which had been established in 1922.
Following theAmerican Civil War, theEvangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America began to supportmissionary work directed towards theAfrican American community in thesouthern United States.[1] As part of this outreach, the conference founded several schools and colleges throughout the region.[1] In 1903, the conference foundedImmanuel Lutheran College inConcord, North Carolina, and later that year, the conference founded Luther College inNew Orleans.[2] Luther College officially opened in September 1903 in the 10-foot (3.0 m) by 20-foot (6.1 m)vestry of St. Paul's Church, under the leadership of the Reverend F. J. Lankenau.[3] While classes were initially held inside the church,[4][2] a school building was erected in 1904.[4][5] The building, located adjacent to St. Paul's, wasdedicated in November of that year and cost $4,007.[3][note 1] Lankenau was assisted in his instructions by two assistants,[4] the Reverends K. Kretzschmar and J. Kossmann.[3] The school was modeled after the North Carolina institute,[2] and like that school, it operated three departments:[3] ahigh school, anormal school, and aseminary.[4] In 1904, the school had 25 students,[7] with two students in the seminary.[8][9] Additionally, St. Paul's operated aparochial school that had an enrollment of over 200 students.[10][11]
A 1908directory of colleges and private schools in the United States listed Luther College as aco-ed institution that offeredpreparatory and college classes.[12] That year, the school had 14 male and 9 female students, ranging in age from 13 to 24 years old, being taught by threewhite male teachers, with six students studying for theChristian ministry.[13] In September 1908, Lankenau departed from New Orleans, with his duties as both president of Luther College and minister of St. Paul's being taken up by Frederick Wenger.[14] By 1910, the school's property was valued at $6,000 and it had annual expenses of $2,500, which were primarily covered by the conference, with additional funding secured by tuition.[13] That same year, the seminary closed, having graduated only one student, Clavin Peter Thompson, during its existence.[4][3]
In February 1914, the school was visited by members of theUnited States Office of Education as part of a nationwide study on African American education.[15] At the time, the school was headed by President R. E. Schmidt and had a staff of two teachers, all white men.[15] The school had an enrollment of 37 students and offered ten grades, withsewing classes offered to students above the seventh grade.[15] The office reported that most of the students were in theelementary grades.[15] For the 1913–1914financial year, the school had an income of $1,400, of which $1,300 came from the conference and the remainder from tuition.[15] The property value was estimated at $10,500, including theland lot, two-story building, and various pieces of equipment.[15] According to the office's report, they recommended that the school should raise its attendance and offerindustrial education for its male students.[15] Additionally, they recommended that several Lutheranparochial schools in the city should divert their income to the college "to make it a first-classsecondary school".[15]
In 1922, the conference opened theAlabama Lutheran College inSelma, Alabama, which had been amission field of focus for the Lutherans.[16] Several years later, in 1925, the conference closed Luther College,[2] with the funds that had been going towards that school redirected to the Alabama institute.[16][4] A 1927 book published by the conference cited two main reasons for the closure of Luther College: the lack of the seminary and the estimated $18,500 that would have been required for the construction of new buildings for the school.[3]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)