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Lane College Scrapbook

 Collection
Identifier: MS-3976

  • Staff Only

This collection consists of a 45-page scrapbook created by Lessie Belle Spann during her senior year at Lane College in 1923. The scrapbook includes photos cut from yearbooks, poems and messages from classmates, and several personal photos from Spann. The collection also includes 5 loose photographs of Lane College classrooms, President James F. Lane (presided 1907-1944), and a student boxer.

Dates

  • 1923

Conditions Governing Access

Collections are stored offsite, and a minimum of 2 business days are needed to retrieve these items for use. Researchers interested in consulting any of the collections are advised to contact Special Collections.

Conditions Governing Use

The copyright interests in this collection remain with the creator. For more information, contact Special Collections.

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet (4 folders)

Overview

This collection consists of a 45-page scrapbook created by Lessie Belle Spann during her senior year at Lane College in 1923. The scrapbook includes photos cut from yearbooks, poems and messages from classmates, and several personal photos from Spann. The collection also includes 5 loose photographs of Lane College classrooms, President James F. Lane (presided 1907-1944), and a student boxer.

Biographical / Historical

Established in 1882, Lane College was among the earliest Black-founded and run colleges in the United States. It opened its doors in Jackson, Tennessee as Colored Methodist Episcopal (CME) High School, soon becoming Lane College. Lane became fully-accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in 1949 and is now considered part of roughly 101 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). The owner of this scrapbook was Lessie Belle Spann (1903-?). She was a Jackson, TN native who lived in the same home on Payne Street from her birth until the mid-1940s. At this point, little is known of her life. While at Lane, she served as historian for the Class of 1923 and studied teaching. According to census records, she seems to have built a career of teaching.

Arrangement

This collection consists of four folders. The first three are the pages of Spann's scrapbook which remain in the order it was received. The last contains the loose photographs of Lane College which were not attached to the album.

Related Materials

Interested researchers may wish to consult MS.3931, Lane College Baseball Team Photograph.

Repository Details

Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository

Contact:
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville TN 37996 USA
865-974-4480