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Founded by the Baptist Home Mission Society in 1881, Bishop College became the second historically Black college in Marshall. Nathan Bishop, a New York native and superintendent of several Northeastern school systems, his wife, Caroline Caldwell Bishop, and several local Baptist ministers combined their funds to begin the college. Throughout its existence, Bishop College offered instruction in 22 disciplines including literature, science, art and religion, In 1925, the school began a two-year ministerial training program, which was later renamed to honor its first African American president, Joseph J. Rhoads. In athletics, Bishop College achieved championships in the Southwest Athletic Conference and later in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. In 1960, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the commencement ceremony at Bishop College and during the 1960s Civil Rights era, Bishop College students participated in sit-ins at local Marshall restaurants. The 1960s also marked the relocation of the Bishop College campus from Marshall to Dallas. With the 1960s demolition of Bishop College's Administration Building and former Holcomb family home on the Wyalucing Plantation, all traces of Bishop College in Marshall slowly disappeared. Notable alumni include professional athletes, politicians and ministers. Although Bishop College officially closed its doors in 1988, Bishop College's legacy stands as testament to the success and perseverance of African American institutions of higher learning. (2018) |
