Kilgore in Gregg County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Site of Alexander Institute
Photographed By Mark Hilton, August 31, 2019
1. Site of Alexander Institute Marker
Before the establishment of public schools, education was provided by small private academies such as the Alexander Institute. a successor to the New Danville Masonic Female Academy, founded in nearby Danville in 1854. The institute was named for pioneer educator Isaac Alexander (1832-1919). A native of Virginia, Dr. Alexander was president of the academy when it moved to Kilgore in 1873, soon after the city was founded.
In 1875 operation of the school was transferred to the East Texas Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Offering courses from primary through college level, the institute was highly regarded as a finishing school for girls and a preparatory school for boys. Students from all parts of east Texas received instruction here. The boys boarded in private homes and the girls with Mrs. Alexander, daughter of a well-known Methodist minister, the Rev. James Hall.
Dr. Alexander served as president until 1894, when the school moved to Jacksonville in Rusk County and became Lon Morris College, one of the oldest junior colleges in Texas. The Kilgore public schools occupied the old Alexander Institute classroom building at this site until 1913. The structure was then dismantled and the lumber used to build a private residence.
Erected 1978 by Texas
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1854.
Location. 32° 23.16′ N, 94° 52.412′ W. Marker is in Kilgore, Texas, in Gregg County. Marker is at the intersection of East North Street and North Martin Street, on the left when traveling east on East North Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 315 East North Street, Kilgore TX 75662, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. St. Luke's United Methodist Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); First Baptist Church of Kilgore (about 500 feet away); Removal (approx. 0.2 miles away); During Drilling (approx. 0.2 miles away); Drilling Completed, 1940 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Before 1937 Drilling Began (approx. 0.2 miles away); Kilgore National Bank Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); World's Richest Acre (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kilgore.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Also see . . . Celebrating 150 Years of Gregg County History: Alexander Institute. Longview News Journal website entry (2023) (Submitted on February 25, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed By Mark Hilton, August 31, 2019
2. Site of Alexander Institute and Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 25, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 5, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 245 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 5, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
