Simmons College of Kentucky Welcomes Back Its Institutional Archives

In 1879, the Convention of Colored Baptist Churches in Kentucky acquired four acres in Louisville to establish the Kentucky Normal Theological Institute. This institution was later renamed in tribute to W.J. Simmons, its second president, who led from 1880 to 1890. During the Great Depression in 1930, financial struggles compelled the school to sell its campus to the University of Louisville, which was then segregated. The University repurposed the site as the Louisville Municipal College for the Colored until integrating Black students led to its closure, ultimately transferring the campus to the local school district.