Sue Bennett College
London, Laurel County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Sue Bennett College. Sue Bennett Memorial School, named for Madison Co. promoter, opened 1897 to educate mountain children. Funded by local people and the Methodists, school taught all grades. Commercial Dept. opened 1901; county high school, 1910-33. Normal school operated, 1900-1910, and became junior college, 1922. Name changed, 1930; closed 1997. Presented by Friends of Sue Bennett. (Reverse) Sue Bennett College - Educated more than 11,000 students, 1897-1997. School leaders: J. C. Lewis, 1897-1917; J.E. Savage, 1915-16; Ms. K.J. French, 1916-17; A.W. Mohn, 1917-22; K.C. East, 1922-42; H.V. McClure, 1939; Ms. J. Harrison, 1942-44; Ms. O. Sanders, 1944-58; L. Flynn, 1954; E.F. Hays, 1958-85; J.E. Patterson, 1985-88; Ms. J.K. Stivers, 1988-91; P.G. Bunnell, 1991-97; J. Cheek, 1997.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
Opened in 1897 and named for a Madison County promoter, the Sue Bennett Memorial School was founded by local people and the Methodist church to educate the children of the Kentucky mountains. It taught all grades and evolved through a commercial department, a normal school, and by 1922 a junior college. Over a full century it educated more than 11,000 students before closing in 1997.
Why it matters
Sue Bennett College reflects the church-and-community mission schools that carried education deep into Appalachia across the twentieth century.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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