A Brief History of the Seminary and the Original Campus
Old LSU Site
| | Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy | |
1860
The Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy, the predecessor of the Louisiana State University, opened at this site in January 1860 with Colonel William Techmseh Sherman as its first superintendent, five faculty members, and 19 young male students.
1861
The Civil War divided the nation, and Louisiana seceded from the Union less than 18 months after the seminary opened. At that point, Sherman resigned from his post and returned to the Union forces, while many faculty and students joined the Confederacy.
1863
The seminary struggled to remain open during the war, but the invasion of the Red River Valley in April 1863 forced the school to suspend activities.
1865
After the war ended, the Seminary reopened with David F. Boyd, one of the original faculty members, as superintendent.
1869
The Seminary held its first, and only, commencement exercise at this location. Then on October 15, a fire destroyed the building, and the Seminary was relocated to Baton Rouge, where it shared facilities with the State Institute for the Deaf and Dumb and Blind. The move was intended to be temporary, but the institution would eventually call Baton Rouge home.
1870
The Seminary is renamed Louisiana State University.
Topics.
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Location. 31° 21.474′ N, 92° 26.193′ W. Marker is in Pineville, Louisiana, in Rapides Parish. It is on Shreveport Highway (U.S. 71) south of Rigolette Road (State Road 1203), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2500 Shreveport Highway, Pineville LA 71360, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Louisiana and in Acadiana Cajun Country. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy (within
Credits. This page was last revised on December 16, 2017. It was originally submitted on December 16, 2017, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 961 times since then and 89 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 16, 2017.
