HISTORY

The Milton Whitworth family.

Whitworth College

Historic Brookhaven icon has a story to tell

Story By Brianna Moore-Christa Art Courtesy of Lincoln County Public Library

The history of Whitworth College is much more colorful than many would assume for a small Methodist girl’s school. Over its long era, the college that has become an icon in Brookhaven history was host to an array of fascinating happenings and beginnings, linking Brookhaven to the American Civil War, the founding of Millsaps and Belhaven Colleges, and even the outlaw Jesse James.

The College was founded in either 1858 or 1859, depending on which historical marker you read on which side of the campus. In actuality, the college was probably founded in a nearby parlor. Mr. Milton Whitworth, originally of Tennessee, had been leading a team of horses to New Orleans when he stopped to rest in Port Gibson. That night he was awakened early in the morning and witnessed a phenomenal occurrence: the Leonides Meteor shower of 1833, in which hundreds of thousands of fireballs scoured the sky in every direction over several hours.

Whitworth was inspired by this event to become a born-again Christian and decided to settle in the area.

After the closing of Elizabeth College, near Natchez, the Methodist Conference sought to choose a new location further from the swamps to build a new women’s college. Due to a chance meeting, Whitworth was able to convince the conference to abandon their plans to build the college in Hazlehurst and choose Brookhaven instead. It’s likely that he had already established a temporary college in the area, but with the backing of the Conference he had the opportunity to grow that college into the esteemed institution that would eventually become Whitworth College. In another chance meeting on the train, Whitworth met the architect Alfred Moreton and convinced him to exit the train at Brookhaven and entertain his vision of a modern women’s college. Moreton was convinced and would eventually go on to become one of Brookhaven’s most celebrated citizens, designing several buildings and homes in the area.

The college opened, and in a twist of fate was closed just a few short years later due to the American Civil War. Whitworth himself enlisted, along with his sonin-law, James Hoskins. They served in Hoskins’ Battery, which had many adventures during the

Harvey Johnson war protecting the bluffs of the Mississippi River near Grand Gulf, in Clinton, near Yazoo City, and out of the state in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. Meanwhile, although the school was closed, the main building, Whitworth Hall, was designated Louisiana Hospital #1 and used as a hospital for injured soldiers after the Battle of Jackson. The War Between the States was hard on Milton Whitworth, who died just a few years later after losing most of his fortune. His son-in-law, James Hoskins, continued to grow the Brookhaven area through his efforts in the logging industry.

After the war, the school reopened under the leadership of Dr. Harvey Johnson, who had been president of Madison College. This was one of the most prosperous eras of Whitworth College. Dr. Harvey Johnson, a talented speaker and minister, grew the college to over 200 students, re-paid all the col

lege’s debt, and was able to procure funds to build two brick buildings on the campus of the College valued at $65,000: Margaret Hall and Johnson Institute, which he generously deeded to the Methodist Episcopal Church. His efforts weren’t without scandal — on the day that Johnson Hall was dedicated, Dr. Johnson would later write that the Brookhaven Brass Band refused to play. A special speaker who was arranged to give a speech, Jefferson Davis, also canceled at the last minute. This is likely because Dr. Harvey Johnson had the soldiers who were buried in the original Confederate

Alfred Elliot Moreton Cemetery re-interred to Rosehill Cemetery, something relatively unheard of at the time, and built Johnson Institute in its place. The building still stands today, in use by the Mississippi School of the Arts, although Margaret Hall was eventually torn down.

After Dr. Johnson’s death by the then-common Yellow Fever after serving Whitworth for 20 years, the next memorable president of Whitworth was Professor Lewis

Whitworth Hall

T. Fitzhugh, who would eventually go on to found a companion college for Millsaps (then a boy’s school) which he called Belhaven College. Another notable President of Whitworth, Dr. Inman Cooper was known for his friendliness as well as his temper and will forever be remembered for his incredible fundraising skills. During his presidency, he helped procure donations and WPA funds to build several new buildings, including the iconic Mary Jane Lampton Auditorium, Cooper Hall, Enoch Hall, the Y-Hut (or Teen Tavern as many remember it), along with several other buildings that are no longer standing. Dr. Cooper served Whitworth until his death of heart failure in 1925, when Whitworth College was at its height of achievement after achieving his often-spoken dream of a “Greater Whitworth.”

In 2003, the campus of Whitworth College became home to the Mississippi School of the Arts, a two-year high school for artistically gifted high schoolers with programs in Visual Arts, Theatre, Vocal Music, Dance, Media Arts and Literary Arts. Students from throughout the state attend MSA in their 11th and 12th grade year to receive special instruction on the historic campus in Downtown Brookhaven, bringing frequent visitors and showcasing the beauty of Brookhaven.

A detailed history of the early years of Whitworth College is detailed in the book Theatre of War, available for purchase on Amazon. /////