| Union Literary Institute | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
United States | |
| Coordinates | 40°04′38″N 84°48′59″W / 40.07722°N 84.81639°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Racially integrated |
| Established | 1846 |
| Founder | Quakers and free blacks |
| Closed | 1880 |
| Principal | Ebenezer Tucker (1) |
| Faculty | Ebenezer Tucker, Samuel Smothers |
| Campus size | 174 acres (70 ha) |
| Campus type | Agricultural |
| Publication | The Students' Repository |
The Union Literary Institute, located in rural Randolph County, Indiana, at 8605 East County Road 600 South, Union City, Indiana (at its founding, "two miles east of Spartanburg"), was a historic school founded in 1846 primarily for blacks by abolitionist Quakers and free blacks in three local communities. Only white students were allowed to attend the public schools in the state.[1] The term "literary institute" at the time meant a non-religious school.
This school was among the handful in the United States of the time that admitted both black and white students; it was the first in Indiana. The school closed in 1864 during the Civil War, when its only teacher enlisted in the United States Colored Troops. The students published a magazine from 1863-1864, which included articles by adults. The school re-opened after the war, operating until 1880; it closed because of declining enrollment.
In 1924, after three decades of court challenges, the state acquired the building and the remaining 120 acres of the original site. The county had operated the structure as a segregated public school in the late nineteenth century. In the early 20th century, the structure was converted for use as a storage barn. In 2016 a historical marker was erected at the former school, noting its valuable history. It is within the Ohio River National Freedom Corridor.
- ^ Beilke, Jayne (2007). "Multicultural Issues". In Cayton, Andrew R. L.; Sisson, Richard; Zacher, Chris (eds.). American Midwest. Indiana University Press. p. 853. ISBN 9780253003492. Archived from the original on 2021-03-11. Retrieved 2019-10-07 – via Project MUSE.