Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal School (Tennessee State University)

Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal School (Tennessee State University)

Historical marker, higher education, African Americans, HBCU, college, Nashville, Tennessee State University

Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal School for Negroes first opened its doors to 247 students in 1912. This site gave birth to a new era--public higher education for Tennessee's African Americans with emphasis on occupational training. In 1922 the school was raised to college status and to a university in 1951. According to the Tennessee Encylopedia of History and Culture: "Tennessee State University (TSU) has become one of Tennessee's most recognized public higher education institutions, both nationally and internationally. Its athletes, including Ralph Boston, Wyomia Tyus, and Wilma G. Rudolph, have won twenty-nine medals in the Olympic Games. The university's most famous graduate, Oprah Winfrey, became America's highest paid entertainer and television personality during the 1990s. By 1996 seven TSU buildings had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district--the first of Tennessee's public colleges and universities so designated"

State of Tennessee

1912-present

Buildings

Location: 2904 John A Merritt Boulevard