Jarvis Christian College
| Type | Private, HBCU |
|---|---|
| Established | 1912 |
| Affiliation | Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) |
| President | Dr. Lester Newman |
| Students | 800 |
| Address |
PR 7631,Hwy 80 E, Hawkins, Texas, United States 32°35′21″N 95°10′47″W / 32.589192°N 95.179823°WCoordinates: 32°35′21″N 95°10′47″W / 32.589192°N 95.179823°W |
| Campus | 1,000 acres |
| Colors | Blue and Gold |
| Sports | Basketball, tennis, soccer, baseball, volleyball |
| Website | www.jarvis.edu |
Jarvis Christian College (JCC) is an independent four year, historically black college affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It is located in unincorporated Wood County, Texas, near Hawkins. It was founded in 1912, and is currently headed by President Dr. Lester C. Newman.
Although formal instructional programs at Jarvis began on January 13, 1913, with an enrollment of twelve students, all in the elementary grades, the school got its start in 1904 when the Negro Disciples of Christ of Texas began planning a school for black youth. Major James Jarvis donated land upon which the school could be built; the family deeded 456 acres to the Christian Women's Board of Missions on the condition it be maintained as a school for blacks. Jarvis opened its doors as Jarvis Christian Institute, modeled after the Southern Christian Institute located in Edwards, Mississippi.
Jarvis is the only historically black college remaining of 12 founded by the Christian (Disciples of Christ) Church.
Jarvis' first students were educated in the remains of an old logging camp, and later in a cabin which became the school's first multi-purpose building.
Thomas Buchanan Frost came to the school as superintendent in 1912. Mr. Charles Albert Berry joined him as principal. In 1914, James Nelson Ervin became the first president of Jarvis, and served in that capacity until 1938. During the first year of Ervin's tenure, high school classes were added to the curriculum for Jarvis. It became one of the few places blacks in East Texas could complete a high school education at the time. Some college work was offered as early as 1916.
The Executive Committee of the National Women's Board voted in May, 1915, to appropriate $1,000 for a sawmill that was purchased and installed on campus. The sawmill was operated from the 1920s through the 1940s by male students in the summer. They cut wood for structures on campus and to fire furnaces and stoves used during winter months around campus. Most of the buildings on the Jarvis Campus built during the 1920s-1940s were made with wood from this mill. Most of those buildings burned.
In 1927, junior college courses were integrated in to the curriculum. In 1928, the school incorporated as a college.
Senior College course offerings were introduced at Jarvis in 1937. The Emma Smith Building, used to house administration offices, was built in 1936 and is the only campus structure surviving from the Ervin presidency.
...
Wikipedia