Celebrating its sesquicentennial, 150 years, founded in 1867, a university that originally started with nine students in the basement of the sharp street Methodist Episcopal Church, now celebrating 150 years and has nearly 8000 students. It is a history and a legacy that is tied to historically black colleges and universities. In 2017, there are nine historically black colleges and universities that will celebrate their 150th anniversary, and these are Morgan State University in baltimore maryland, Howard University in d. C. , johnson c. Smith in north carolina, barber scotia in north carolina, talladega alabama, Saint Augustine in north carolina, alabama State University in alabama, fayetteville State University in north carolina, and Morehouse College in georgia. In 1867, these nine historically black colleges and universities formed the largest concentration of any historically black college and university established in any single year. 1965, the Higher Education act of 1965 formally recognize 105 historically black colleges and universities, and so these 105 hbcus are an important legacy to the education of africanamericans in this country. Morgans founding and morgans journey began with the right reverend samuel green, who was born in Dorchester County as a slave and purchased his freedom along with that of his wife by 1840. He also assisted his son, samuel green jr. , in escaping the underground railroad. He was assisted by harriet tubman. Reverend green was a conductor on the underground railroad and also assisted many others to freedom and was caught with a pamphlet of the uncle toms cabin. When he was arrested and sent to prison here in the city of baltimore for 10 years before being pardoned by the governor of the state of maryland on the condition that he would leave the state where he went to visit his son sam junior who was residing in canada, he came back to maryland in the year they signed the emancipation proclamation, 1864. He met with several africanamerican preachers and those of the clergy who found what is now Morgan State University, what was then the centenary Biblical Institute of 1867. October 31 in 1864 was the year that marked the first africanamerican conference in the methodist at this cable church. It is known as the washington conference. It was the first colored conference and these original founders and visionaries along with the right reverend samuel green decided to start what is now Morgan State University, and their single purpose was the intellectual and moral elevation of young men of color. They were to train these young men in the ministry. These men would go off and preach not only the gospel but preach liberation. This is happening just after the emancipation proclamation has been signed here in the state of maryland, after president Abraham Lincoln had signed the emancipation proclamation on the United States of america. On Christmas Day 1866, the founders met, and they met to organize what would then become the centenary of Little Institute of 1867. On april 30, the first class of students, nine students, met at the sharp Street United Methodist Church in the basement of that location, down at pratt and sharp street. And the articles of incorporation for the centenary Biblical Institute was founded. So the journey of morgan has been a long illustrious journey, one that has taken it from the centenary Biblical Institute to Morgan College of 1890 to Morgan State College of 1839 to Morgan State University of 1975. A remarkable journey that began with these brave students, nine of which met in the basement of this building here at the corner of sharp and pratt, baltimores inner harbor today, and at this site, there is a days inn hotel. But the nine students informed this university convened at the lower level of this basement. The reverend James H Brown delivered what is referred to as a systematic course of lectures to these young africanamerican men who were being trained to enter the gospel. In 1869, the centenary Biblical Institute purchased a patent property which is this building here. They purchased it in a noted Africanamerican Community called yellow hills in downtown baltimore. This would become the First Independent building, campus will day for the centenary Biblical Institute. It is at this location they created the Baltimore City economy, founded in 1886. It would later be known as the Morgan Academy. That would run from 1860 to 1927. In 1879, the reverend john gaucher donated property at the corner of edmondson and fulton for the establishment of a larger campus building, which is the building that you see here designed by frank e. Davis. And that location, the institute then became the Morgan College in 1890, reverend Lyttleton Morgan donated property to the university and also endowed the institution. They renamed the institution Morgan College. In 1986, the centenary Biblical Institute created the Princess Anne academy on marylands eastern shores. It was originally known as the delaware academy. It is today the university of maryland eastern shore, which was birthed out of morgan state. The original building as you can see off to the side, this hall and several other buildings that form today the academic oval on marylands eastern shore, this branch of morgan was in operation from 1886 until 1935, when it was sold to the state of maryland. The last building that was standing on the site was Still Standing in 1959, a significant year, when the building was actually demolished. It was fireinduced. The hall, the eliza smith Hall Building. This building here, it is the building they fire induced. It is a significant and important building that was erected on that campus, one that no longer stands. All other former buildings related to the Princess Anne academy are no longer there. In 1891, they went further with establishing other branches. In lynchburg, virginia, they had the collegiate and industrial college. It was a branch of morgan from 1891 to 1917. On that site, it was a 12 acre site that have a single building. You will notice this is the same building at edmondson and fulton. And so they hired the same market to create a brand for the university. They were going to build the signature campus buildings have at these different branches. And so this was the virginia industrial collegiate site. In 1917, this building was destroyed by fire. It was the only building on that site, and the students who were at that location were rescued by harriet wilford, a faculty member at that location. She saved all the persons from that fire and later died from pneumonia. And so on the campus today, if you visited the woolford infirmary, it is named in honor of harryet woolford for her heroic efforts of the lynchburg campus. In 1917, the university purchased the current site where the university is presently located. On this site we have Morgan College, 1917 to 1939 when the state purchased the campus. From Morgan State College 1939 to 1975, and Morgan State University from 1975 to the present. So this at cold spring and helen, which was the ivy mill and farm, a 65 acre tract of land that they purchased in 1917 100 years ago, purchased it from Walter Thorne, a german immigrant. He was very sensitive to the needs of African Americans, and this was important that they are related to acquisition during the 1970s. But this was a farm. It was the ivy mill and farm, and its cheap crop was the baltimore nice, the stone that many buildings are erected in. The Washington Hall building is an early building that was on this campus. It was home to Walter Thorne. This is a picture from 1920. All of the original campus buildings were actually farm buildings that Walter Thorne had already on this campus that the university immediately reused for the purposes of education. They renamed this building Washington Hall in honor of the washington conference, which gave rise to the centenary Biblical Institute, the washington conference where the colored numbers founded the institution. Bellevue hall was a part of the morgan or the morton state acquisition. So the original purchase was 65 acres of land. An additional 12 acres of land was purchased to increase the size of the campus. This Bellevue Hall became an early dormitory for men on the campus. The purpose and the significance of the development of Morgan College and morgan park is one that is quite significant within our american history. There are six key milestones that relate to this, but one of importance is in 1913, when the Morgan College company was established to relocate the campus. Dr. John spencer, who was the president of the university, had organized a group of colored men who would establish an organization that would set out to find a larger plot of land for the university as it related to a carnegie, Andrew Carnegie gift, to the university. He bequested 50,000 on the condition that it would build a building in his honor, that it would find larger land to erect this building because when the university was at edmondson and fulton, his architect from new york Edward Tilden came down to visit that site and told Andrew Carnegie that if he gave morgan the 50,000, that they would soon outgrow that edmundsonfulton location, that it would not be as good but use of the resources. So they set out to find a different site. What was unique and very tumultuous about the search as you can see in the headlines is that the university could have been in park heights. But protesters happened. They said the coloreds will invade the area. They will bring down the Property Values in that area. They looked at mount washington. There were several letters written from high chief executives who also wrote to dr. Goucher and dr. Spencer, roofing such as we have homes that we own in this community. We have spent thousands of dollars to improve our properties. Please be considerate of what it would mean to bring these negroes into our community. So they looked at more than 21 sites across maryland, trying to relocate this university. In 1917, they were able to connect with Walter Thorne, and the ivy mill and farm, and purchased the site where we currently are. What was important was that 25 acres of land would be set aside for a residential community. This is the negro colony that was then referenced in the 1913 to 1917 documents areas adjacent to the campus, the main campus is here with the quad, is the Community Called morgan park. This Morgan Park Community is a historic Africanamerican Community. It was one of the first city suburbs at the time that the campus moved here. It was still Baltimore County and became Baltimore City in 1918. This very Significant Community that was developed from 1913 to the 1960s has three very strong periods of significance in which houses were built and movers and shakers occupied the community itself. The first home that was erected in the community was built by dr. Oconnell. He was one of the First Principles of the princess and academy located on marylands eastern shore. He built a house that still stands in the community. The proximity of this as it relates to the Overall University is as such, just west of the campus is another very important Community Called wilson park committee, developed by harriet wilson, also africanamerican. All other areas surrounding the campus would have been whites who had protested the Africanamerican Community. It went as high as the Supreme Court level. The first building that morgan constructed on the campus was the carnegie Hall Building. There were other buildings that predated Carnegie Hall. But Carnegie Hall is the oldest building that Morgan State University erected on the campus. This building was designed by Edward Tilden, the architect from new york. He lent Edward Tilden to the university to design three other buildings in addition to carnegie. This building on cold spring lane was the old power plant building, one that has been decommissioned but is a Historic Building built of the stones quarried from the site. And the oldest continuously occupied dormitory on the campus that houses young man, it was finished in the 1920s. All of the buildings that form what we call the morgan academic quad are on the ivy mill farm proper. This quite a report historically housed farm buildings. The carnegie Hall Building being the first that was erected, then being flanked by annexations recognizing dr. John spencer, milton calloway, who was one of the first and early black scientists, dr. Charles key, the Banneker Hall named in honor of benjamin banneker, originally the sober library and the First Library on campus, the whole for the first africanamerican president , the Harper Tubman building, named in honor of harriet tubman, the jenkins hall, the second africanamerican president , dr. Martin jenkins, and carter grant wilson, these individuals were the three horsemen within morgans history here at carter, james carter was born on this site. It was the ivy mill and farm. His family with the colored family who worked for the ivy mill and farm. So we believe he actually introduced this property to john spencer when it came on the market. That is how they were able to purchase it. Then dean grant and edward wilson, who was the registrar, longtime registrar of Morgan State University and wrote the history from 1867 to 1967. Then truth hall, originally a dormitory named for general truth, then mckeldin center, named in honor of theodore mckeldin, former governor, and mcmechen hall, named in honor of the first graduate george mcmechen. The science center, which is named in honor of the graduate who was the first africanamerican treasurer of the state of maryland. These two very important individuals in the history of Morgan State University, dr. Martin d. Jenkins, the second africanamerican president , and dr. Dwight Oliver Wendell holmes, who was the first. So what you see is one of the first models for the campus. Dr. Holmes passing the baton to dr. Jenkins, and they had laid out a 20 year physical campus plan for morgan, much of which reflected the history of morgan today in terms of the physical environment. The direction of the homes, the first clocktower building was planned and directed to be one of the sort of Guiding Principles in terms of the environment on the campus as far as direction. It is a significant addition to the campus that helps to orient what market history referred to as a long walk. This is the campus by 1967 where they celebrated its centennial anniversary. There are several very important leaders who have led this institution. It is important to note it reflects the american story while the students were always africanamerican, the leadership was always white. Dr. John spencer, who was one of the early president s of the university, also white, was a longtime president of morgan 1902 to 1937 and let it through its many establishments of branches, the Princess Anne, the american academy, the lynchburg, and relocating to this site. Dr. Dwight Oliver Wendell holmes in 1937 became first african