Morristown College — Recovering Campus History
Historical feature • Updated October 12, 2026
Founded in 1881, Morristown College served East Tennessee’s Black community before closing in 1994. University of Tennessee archivists later helped recover materials from campus time capsules discovered during a city-led project to commemorate the college.
The capsules had been placed in building cornerstones. Opening and preserving their contents connected campus history with the work of archivists and local residents. A closed college’s memory depends on more than a marker: it also depends on the people who identify, protect and explain the materials left behind.