Butler College (1905–1972) was an American co-educational black school in Tyler, Texas. It started as a combined elementary and high school, it became a junior college by 1924, and by 1951 it was a senior college before reverting back to a junior college in 1960. Butler College closed in 1972, after an enrollment decline. A historical plaque for Butler College (marker 15480) was erected near 1900 Bellwood Road by Texas Historical Commission in 2008.[1]
History
Cornelius Moses Butler (1844–1924)
Established in 1905 by the East Texas Baptist Association,[2][3] the school was originally called the East Texas Normal and Industrial Academy,[4] and was initially a combined elementary and high school. However some sources state it was originally named the East Texas Baptist Academy.[5] Rev. C. M. Butler (or Cornelius Moses Butler; 1844–1924) served as the first president of the school, and he was the moderator of the East Texas Baptist Association.[5] T. C. Bledsoe was the school's first principal.[5]
By 1910, the school had 129 enrolled students and 6 teachers.[6] The school introduced junior college-level courses in 1924, and the name was changed to Butler College following the death of its first president, Rev. C. M. Butler.[4] In 1934 during the Great Depression, the Texas Baptist Conference became a co-sponsor of the college (gaining them financial support), with the East Texas Baptist Association owning and operating Butler College.[5]
A few years after World War II, in 1951 Butler became a four-year senior college.[4] As a four-year senior college it was never able to achieve accreditation, and by 1960 it reverted back to a junior college.[7] Enrollment declined during the 1960s, and the college closed in 1972.[7][8]
