Centenary State Historic Site Originally opened as the College
of Louisiana in 1826, the school occupied an old courthouse and
other buildings in the town of Jackson. The college steadily
grew and two dormitories were built on new property in 1832 and
1837. The West Wing, the latter of these two buildings, remains
today. After less than 20 years, the College of Louisiana closed
because of declining enrollment. Suffering similar problems was
the Methodist/Episcopal-operated Centenary College at Brandon
Springs, Mississippi (established in 1839). Centenary then moved
to the vacant campus of the College of Louisiana. Since the all-
male student bodies of the two institutions were effectively
combined, the school succeeded with the name Centenary College
of Louisiana now owned and operated by the Methodist/Episcopal
Church South. At its peak, shortly before the Civil War, some
250 students and 11 faculty members occupied the campus. The
Civil War had a profound effect on Centenary College, as it did
on most Southe