National Register Listing

Mary Allen Seminary for Colored Girls, Administration Building

803 N. 4th St., Crockett, TX

Constructed in 1886, the Administration Building of the Mary Allen Seminary for Colored Girls stands in one of the oldest structures in the town of Crockett, as well as in Houston County. It is a visible reminder of the united efforts of the Presbyterians toward the education of black girls and women in a predominantly rural, East Texas county. The structure is an important survival in terms of institutional architecture in the state, where buildings in the Second Empire style were once features of many college campuses. The structure reflects the growth and decline of black education in the area. It evolved from an all-white to an all-black administration, from a female seminary to a coeducational junior college, to a four-year coeducational college. Then it closed and was sold off to meet debts arising from lawsuits.

Architecturally, the Administration Building of Mary Allen Seminary represents an uncommon survival of a Second Empire educational building in Texas. During the 1870s and 1880s, the style was particularly popular on college campuses around the state, with Second Empire buildings being erected on the campus of Texas A&M in 1871-74, and at Baylor University in 1886. The Texas A & M Main Hall was destroyed by fire in 1912, while the mansard roofs of the Main Building at Baylor were removed in later remodelings. The first site of Trinity University, near Tehuacana, features a more elaborate Second Empire building erected in 1871, fortunately still intact and being renovated. The simplicity of the design of the Mary Allen building reflects the character of the structures at Texas A&M and Baylor, with rather simple brickwork highlighted by decorative lintels and arched windows. Unfortunately, no documentation has been found which names either a builder or architect for this structure. While the building has suffered from hurricane damage and neglect, restoration could readily be achieved using the turn-of-the-century photographs of the Seminary which survive in good condition.

During the 19th century, several institutions of higher learning were established in Texas for the education of the state's black population. Virtually all of them were founded by religious denominations, and Mary Allen Seminary was no exception. The Seminary was established in 1886 by the Board of Missions for Freedmen of the Presbyterian Church, which had its headquarters in Pittsburgh. Credit for attracting the interest of the Board must be given to the Reverend Samuel Fisher Tenney of the Presbyterian Church of Crockett. Rev. Tenney had personally contacted the Reverend Richard Allen, Secretary of the Board of Freedmen, who came to Crockett in 1880 with his wife Mary to consider a location for the Seminary. Crockett was selected after Rev. Allen had surveyed the state, and the Board of Freedmen authorized the construction of the Seminary early in 1886, with classes beginning later in the year. The Board chose Dr. J.B. Smith as the first president of the Seminary. Before the Seminary opened, Rev. Allen's wife Mary died, and it was determined that the institution be named in her honor in recognition of her interest in its creation.

Dr. Smith served as President of the Seminary until he died in 1910 and was succeeded by Dr. H.P.V. Bogue. In February of 1912, the Seminary's principal dormitory, Grace McMillan Hall, was destroyed by fire. A replacement structure was erected shortly thereafter, and the Seminary continued operations. Dr. Bogue left the institution in 1918 after the death of his wife and was succeeded by Dr. A.E. Hubbard. By the time Hubbard left Mary Allen in 1924, enrollment had declined to only 35 students, and the future of the Seminary was doubtful.

Byrd R. Smith of Greensboro, North Carolina, was named to succeed Hubbard as President of the Seminary. The first Negro to hold the post, Smith's appointment brought about a major change in the administration of the institution, which up to that time had been staffed by whites. Enrollment rose to 134 students, all of whom were boarders. In 1933 Smith had the status of the Seminary raised to that of a coeducational junior college, accredited by the State Department of Education. This certification enabled the graduates of Mary Allen to receive teacher's certificates and to teach anywhere in the state. President Smith's death in early 1941, and the outbreak of World War II resulted in a major reduction in enrollment, and in July of 1943, the college was sold to a group of Crockett businessmen. In November of 1944, it was in turn sold to the General Baptist Convention of Texas.

Dr. S.R. Prince was named to serve as the first Baptist president, and in 1945 the school became a four-year, coeducational college. In 1950 a 24-bed hospital was built with partial funding from the Ford Foundation, in addition to a new dormitory for male students. Mary Allen College lost its state accreditation in 1953 as a result of a scandal alleging the sale of academic degrees. Rev. Jodie C. Sanford attempted to regain certification in 1959 but failed. The school's physical plant suffered damage from Hurricane Carla in 1962 when the Administration Building lost the top section of its tower. Then, in the summer of 1970 fire destroyed the two-story McMillan Hall. After years of declining enrollment and insufficient funds to maintain the campus buildings, the Missionary General Baptist Convention sold the site to the Stowe Lumber Company, in February of 1978, ending the 92-year history of the institution.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1983.