Six months after the Civil War ended, Rev. Erathmus Cravath, John Ogden and Rev. Edward Smith founded Fisk School, named for Clinton Fisk, first head of the Tennessee Freedmen's Bureau. Fisk provided former Union Army barracks for use, and in January, 1866, the first students began attending classes. Fisk has always been affiliated with the United Church of Christ (originally known as American Missionary Association). In 1872, the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools gave Fisk its Class A Rating, the first for an African-American School. Current president of the university is Hazel O'Leary, former Secretary of Energy during the Clinton Administration.
Jubilee Hall (above) was not only the first permanent structure built on the campus but also the South's first structure built for the education of black students. This Victorian-Gothic structure is named for the world-famous Jubilee Singers, a group of students who traveled the world bringing the world a new musical genre - the spiritual. They set out in 1871 and raised enough funds to build the hall and save the fledging university. The current Jubilee Singers still perform regularly, and with upcoming performances scheduled for Knoxville, Roanoke, Chattanooga, and Nashville.
There's a lot more history to Fisk, and tomorrow we'll look at another of its historic buildings.
