Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN
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N 36° 34.826 W 083° 39.413
17S E 262283 N 4051616
A private university located in Tennessee founded because of a comment made by President Lincoln to General O.O. Howard. "If you come through this misery alive... I want you to do something for thoes mountain people..."
Waymark Code: WM66A5
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 04/11/2009
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Lincoln Memorial University grew out of love and respect for Abraham Lincoln and today honors his name, values, and spirit. As the legend goes, in 1863 Lincoln suggested to General O. O. Howard, a Union Army officer, that when the Civil War ended he hoped General Howard would organize a great university for the people of this area.
In the late 1800s, Colonel A. A. Arthur, an organizing agent of an English company, purchased the area where Lincoln Memorial University is located. His company built a hotel of 700 rooms called "The Four Seasons," as well as a hospital, an inn, a sanitarium, and other smaller buildings. Roads were laid and the grounds planted with a wide variety of shrubs and trees. In 1895 the company was forced to abandon its project when a financial panic swept England.
Reverend A. A. Myers, a Congregationalist minister, came to the Cumberland Gap in 1888. He succeeded in opening the Harrow School, established for the purpose of providing elementary education to mountain youngsters. On a visit to the area to give a series of lectures at the Harrow School, General O. O. Howard remembered his commitment to fulfill Lincoln's request and he joined Reverend Myers, M. F. Overton, C. F. Eager, A. B. Kesterson, and M. Arthur in establishing Lincoln Memorial University. That group, along with Robert F. Patterson, a Confederate veteran, became a board of directors and purchased The Four Seasons property. In commemoration of Lincoln's birthday, the institution was chartered by the State of Tennessee on February 12, 1897, as Lincoln Memorial University.
Since that time, Lincoln Memorial University has sought to provide educational opportunities, development of community leadership, and the expansion of economic and social forces within its region. More than 700 alumni have entered medical or legal practice in Appalachian communities. Another 3,000 have become professional educators, serving in positions ranging from elementary school teaching to university presidencies. Twenty-five graduates have published widely recognized books, dramas, and musical compositions. Jesse Stuart is one such author; his various works have been translated into seven languages.
Lincoln Memorial University has enjoyed an outstanding international partnership with the Kanto International Senior High School in Japan. Since 1979 more than 5,000 Kanto students have visited the campus and studied English-As-A-Second Language along with a curriculum including history, communications, American culture, homestay and various activities.