Morris Brown College

Morris Brown College, a private, liberal arts institution located in Atlanta, Georgia, was founded in 1881 by the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church for the "moral, spiritual and intellectual growth of Negro boys and girls. "The original site for the school was located at Boulevard and Houston Street in Northeast Atlanta. On October 5, 1885, under the charter granted by the State of Georgia, Morris Brown College opened with nine teachers and 107 students. To prepare students for ministerial careers in the A.M.E. Church, Morris Brown opened a theology department in 1894, which became the Turner Theological Seminary in 1900. The seminary's name honors Henry McNeal Turner, a pioneering A.M.E Church organizer. Turner Seminary remained affiliated with Morris Brown until 1957, when it joined the Interdenominational Theological Center. The school operated until 1894 on the primary, secondary, and normal school levels, while the College department was established in 1894 and graduated its first class in 1898. By 1908 the school boasted an enrollment of nearly 1,000 students. It continued to offer instruction in industrial trades as well as academic fields and awarded two-year degrees in addition to four-year bachelor's degrees, but over time administrators placed greater emphasis on the development of the school's college-level curriculum. Morris Brown joined the Atlanta University Center in 1941, and along with Atlanta University, Clark College, Spelman College, and Morehouse College formed the largest consortium of HBCUs in the country. They remained members of the AUC until 2002.

Course Catalogs

The Catalogs for Morris Brown College provides information on the degree programs, course offerings, policies, procedures, financial costs, buildings and services, administration staff, Board of Trustees, and faculty. Early years of the catalog also included lists of matriculating students and alumni.

Morris Brown College Yearbooks

The yearbooks of Morris Brown College chronicles the annual activities of the institution.

Morris Brown Photographs

This collection consists of images depicting Morris Brown campus life spanning 1900 to 1990. Images include athletics, buildings and grounds, students and alumni, faculty and staff, groups and organizations and individuals.

George Sewell Collection

George Alexander Sewell (1910-1983) was a professor, pastor, and author. While a student at Morris Brown College, he became the co-founder and first editor of the Wolverine Observer, the official student newspaper. After graduating from Morris Brown College, Sewell worked as a principal and teacher in the Jackson County Public schools in Jackson County. Outside of his work as an educator, Sewell was a minister of the Eighth Episcopal District and pastored several churches. He was a member of the General Conference from 1956-1980 and chaired the Revisions Committee 1976 quadrenium. Sewell was elected to the General Conference Commission and served as the Secretary on the General Board of Education for the AME Church.

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