Eckstein-Norton Institute

Date: 1890 [unknown]
Location: Cane Springs, Bullitt, Kentucky, United States
Surnames/tags: Kentucky Black_Heritage

An industrial training school for African-Americans started by William J Simmons

The new school opened in 1890. Named for its main benefactor, it was situated on 75 acres near the Cane Springs Depot on the railroad line that ran from Bardstown Junction eastward. In 1902, The Courier-Journal described the campus. "The main building is a substantial brick structure with twenty-five rooms. There are also five frame buildings with twenty rooms for dormitories and assembly halls, the printing office, laundry and blacksmith shop. The accommodations are not adequate to the demands upon them."

That first year the school enrolled but 24 students; however over its lifetime it provided some level of education for over 1,800 students.

Dr. Simmons died during the school's first year, and Rev. Parrish^[1] assumed leadership. While he continued to promote the vocational studies, opportunities were provided for those seeking a liberal arts education. This was particularly evident with the work done by Miss Hattie Gibbs, a talented musician educated in the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, who worked diligently to provide a quality music program for the school. Following her stay at Eckstein Norton, she would move to Washington, D.C. and establish the Washington Conservatory of Music.

Another teacher of note was Miss Mary V. Cook, a graduate of the Louisville school, who taught Latin and mathematics at Eckstein Norton. She married Rev. Parrish in 1898. Throughout her life she was a strong advocate for equality who spoke and wrote frequently for the rights of all in society.

Sources

1. ↑ “Parrish, Charles H., Sr.,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed November 19, 2023, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/430.

https://bullittcountyhistory.org/memories/eni.html