Site of Old Larissa College
Mount Selman, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A prominent school before the Civil War. Established in a log hut in 1848. Placed under the control of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1855. Chartered February 2, 1856. With splendid equipment, Larissa offered the strongest science work of that day in Texas. Closed in 1866. Dr. F. L. Yoakum, President, 1855-1866. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Larissa College began in a log hut in 1848 and, under the Cumberland Presbyterian Church from 1855 and a charter in 1856, grew into one of antebellum Texas's most respected schools. Led by Dr. F. L. Yoakum, it was renowned for offering the strongest science instruction in the state at that time. The Civil War proved its undoing, and the college closed in 1866.
Why it matters
Larissa marks the ambitious reach of frontier higher education before the Civil War, when a log-hut academy could offer science teaching unrivaled anywhere in Texas.
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Related people
- · F. L. Yoakum
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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