Series 1332: Historic Jefferson College Files. 1970-1982, 2012.
Dept. of Archives and History. Historic Properties (RG 31/SG 5)
As of 01/16/2013
Series 1332: Historic Jefferson College Files. 1970-1982, 2012.
Dept. of Archives and History. Historic Properties (RG 31/SG 5)
Files pertaining to architectural work performed on Historic Jefferson College in Washington, Mississippi. Records include maps, photographs, architectural drawings, manuals and specifications from various restoration and repair projects, and a historic structures report detailing the history and historical significance of the college, photographs and histories of its individual buildings (extant and non-extant), and a detailed bibliography of Mississippi Department of Archives and History holdings related to the college.
Jefferson College, founded in 1802, is the oldest state educational institution in Mississippi and was the first organization incorporated for any purpose in the Mississippi Territory. Although a tract of land in the territorial capital of Washington, Adams County was donated in 1803, the school did not commence classes until 1811, after merging with the Washington Academy and gaining the use of its newly-constructed classroom building. Its first permanent building, the East Wing, opened in 1820, with its twin, the West Wing, opening in 1839. The school was closed during the Civil War and its campus used briefly by the Freedman’s Bureau, but shortly after the end of the war the trustees regained control and it was reopened in November 1865. Jefferson College saw its period of greatest growth and institutional stability in the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, enjoying stable or growing enrollment through the 1930s. The school began to decline after the Second World War, however, until it was forced to close in 1964 due to shrinking enrollments and rising costs. After its closure, the school was deeded to the State of Mississippi in lieu of payment of its debts, and the buildings and grounds placed under the jurisdiction of the Mississippi Building Commission. In 1971, after seven years of neglect and looting, the campus was placed under the stewardship of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The campus was opened to the public as a historic site in 1977 after a partial restoration. Further restoration work was undertaken in 1984.
See also:
Series 1317: Historic Jefferson College Files. 1969-1997 (RG 31/SG 4).
RG 74 (Jefferson College Advisory Committee Records).
ACCESS NOTE Access to architectural drawings of state buildings is limited. Application for access, with justification, must be submitted to the Head of the Archives and Library Division or the Director of the Department of Archives and History. |
| 1970-1976: Jefferson College, copies of photos & documents | 5105 |
| 1972: Aerial photo negatives taken by U.S. Geological Survey | 5446 |
| 1972: Jefferson College, repairs to principal buildings (specs) | 12458 |
| 1973: Jefferson College article by Dawn Maddox | 12458 |
| 1973: Topographic map of Jefferson College | 20009 |
| 1976: Kiosk designs | 5105 |
| 1979: Jefferson College room use report by Michael Beard | 12458 |
| 1981-1982: Project Manual, East and West Wing restoration | 12459 |
| 1982: Correspondence | 12459 |
| 1982: Specifications, East and West Wing restoration | 12459 |
| 2012: Historic Structures Report | LIMITED ACCESS |
| 2012: Historic Structures Report: Appendix 2, Source Documents | 30544 |
| 2012: Historic Structures Report: Appendix 1, Supporting Documents | LIMITED ACCESS |
| Architectural drawings | LIMITED ACCESS |
| Architectural drawings | LIMITED ACCESS |
| Jefferson College report by William T. Blain, n.d. | 12458 |
| Jefferson College, copies of 19th & 20th century documents | 12458 |