Oberlin Village in Raleigh in Wake County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Latta University Site: 1892-1922
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 1, 2023
1. Latta University Site: 1892-1922 Marker
Inscription.
Latta University Site: 1892-1922. . Former site of Latta University in Oberlin Village. Founded in 1892 by Reverend Morgan London Latta, the University primarily served orphaned African-American boys and girls. A former slave and also a Shaw graduate, Reverend Latta built his home on this site in 1905. Latta University operated until 1922 and included an industrial department and night school that believed in the principle of achieving economic power through education. At its height Latta University contained up to 23 buildings and could accommodate 1400 students. After the university closed the land was sold and dispersed and only the Latta House remained. The house was destroyed by fire in 2007. The archeological site has been designated a Raleigh Historic Landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Former site of Latta University in Oberlin Village.
Founded in 1892 by Reverend Morgan London
Latta, the University primarily served orphaned
African-American boys and girls. A former slave
and also a Shaw graduate, Reverend Latta built his
home on this site in 1905. Latta University operated
until 1922 and included an industrial department
and night school that believed in the principle of
achieving economic power through education. At its
height Latta University contained up to 23 buildings
and could accommodate 1400 students. After the
university closed the land was sold and dispersed
and only the Latta House remained. The house was
destroyed by fire in 2007. The archeological site has
been designated a Raleigh Historic Landmark and is
listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Location. 35° 47.781′ N, 78° 39.746′ W. Marker is in Raleigh, North Carolina, in Wake County. It is in Oberlin Village. Marker is at the intersection of Parker Street and Dodd Lane, on the left when traveling north on Parker Street. Touch for map.
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Marker is at or near this postal address: 1001 Parker St, Raleigh NC 27607, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . 1. Lost university: How an entire college vanished near downtown Raleigh. An unassuming green park near the Village District holds the remains of a university that was built in 1892 by a man freed from slavery in Raleigh. Today, the park holds barely a remnant of the lost college campus. (Heather Leah, WRAL-TV, Aug. 27, 2020) (Submitted on September 23, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. The History of My Life and Work. Scan of Rev. Latta's autobiography, which touches upon his years in slavery, his disdain for politics, his educational philosophy, and other topics. (Google Books) (Submitted on September 23, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 1, 2023
2. Latta University Site: 1892-1922 Marker
The City of Raleigh plans to turn the site into a park.
2002. (Prepared by Sherry Joines Wyatt; via N.C. Division of Natural and Cultural Resources) (Submitted on September 24, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
from The History of My Life and Work by Rev. M.L. Latta, via Google Books (Public Domain)
3. Latta University
The Manual Training Department, which taught wood and metal working in the belief that such hands-on training would improve student's academic performance. The movement eventually morphed into the modern vocational education system.
from The History of My Life and Work by Rev. M.L. Latta, via Google Books (Public Domain)
4. Latta University
The girls dormitory and a similar boys dormitory were the largest buildings on the Latta University campus.
from The History of My Life and Work by Rev. M.L. Latta, via Google Books (Public Domain), circa 1903
5. Rev. Morgan London Latta (1853-?)
He was born into slavery on a Durham County plantation. He attended Shaw University after the Civil War and moved to Raleigh in 1890, where he worked as a schoolteacher before starting his namesake school. After it closed in the 1920s, Latta moved to Philadelphia where he died. Sources conflict on when he died, placing it between 1924 and 1945.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 24, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 23, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 78 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 23, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.