Abandoned Mississippi Industrial College 

History 

On the west side of North Memphis Street in Holly Springs, Mississippi, stand the weathered remains of Mississippi Industrial College (MIC), a private historically Black college and university (HBCU). To most passersby, the campus is just another scene of abandonment, unaware of its deep historical significance. 

Founded in 1905 by the Mississippi Conference of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (later 0 years of planning. Construction began in 1900 with no state or federal support. Every dollar came from church members, modest donations, and occasional philanthropists. Classes started in January 1906 with only Cathrine Hall, the women's dormitory, completed.  Later, four more main buildings were added along with a few supporting structures. 

MIC was built on Christian principles and the ideal of practical, self-reliant education for African Americans in the Jim Crow era. In its earliest years, students literally constructed the campus as part of their industrial training. The original curriculum balanced literary studies with trades: carpentry, bricklaying, farming the college's 110-acre grounds, sewing, cooking, and auto mechanics. Over time, supported by philanthropists who favored classical education, the program shifted to emphasize Greek, Latin, teacher training, and the liberal arts while retaining only a few of its original vocational offerings. The unchanging mission to provide a private college education when almost every door was closed to African American students. 

Funding was a consistent struggle. Most contributions came from working-class churchgoers rather than wealthy patrons. Bishop Cottrell and the Board of Trustees constantly sought help from denominational bodies and outside donors. Notable donations included $1,000 (roughly $35,000 today) from Catherine Davis, the bishop's wife, for the first dormitory, and a significant grant from Andrew Carnegie that built Carnegie Auditorium—completed in 1923, seating 2,000 and becoming the largest assembly hall in Mississippi explicitly built for African Americans. 

Enrollment grew rapidly. The first year saw 200 students, and within a decade, the number reached 500. By the late 1950s, it topped 1,500, remarkable given that the majority of early students were in grades 1–8 alongside college-level learners. 

Campus life was rich and disciplined: daily morning devotionals, Wednesday prayer services, uniforms, purple and gold colors, and a tiger mascot. MIC fielded men's teams in football (1930–1965), basketball, baseball, track, and boxing, competing in the multi-state Central Athletic Association. Student organizations and clubs included the YMCA, YWCA, Christian Youth Fellowship, chorus, veterans club, and student council. Significant events such as Founders Day, Homecoming, and the Veterans Ball filled the social calendar. 

The final blow came with desegregation. After Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, African Americans were presented with new opportunities. Previously, all-white institutions became possibilities, and nearby Rust College across the street grew, attracting students. 

Many MIC students transferred, seeking broader academic programs and modern facilities, which led to a collapse in enrollment. The church remained the college's most significant single donor throughout its existence, but resources were always limited. Despite 1970s construction projects intended to attract more students, the work was never completed due to the closure. The little Federal aid they received in later years was terminated in December 1981 due to low student numbers. The Board of Trustees completed the 1981–82 academic year and permanently closed the college's doors in June 1982, after 76 years of operation. 

Preservation efforts began almost immediately but repeatedly failed. The campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, ironically adding regulatory hurdles without significant funding. In 1999, alums organized the Mississippi Industrial College Alumni Association to raise awareness and money. In 2008, Rust College purchased the property, hoping to stabilize the structures, but preservation rules and cost blocked plans. A devastating 2012 tornado ripped off most of the metal roofs, tore a hole in the center of Washington Hall, and destroyed Catherine Hall. 

For decades, nothing moved until recently. Washington Hall has recently secured a significant grant to fully reconstruct and reopen as the Ida B. Wells Social Justice and Interpretive Center, marking the first large-scale grant. Construction is in planning but has not yet taken off. 

Today, only four of the original five main buildings remain, scarred by water damage, root intrusion, collapsing roofs, and the 2012 tornado. This photo essay aims to capture Mississippi Industrial College in its current state and legacy before more is lost to time and weather. 

Cathrine Hall 1906

The oldest of the five main buildings was Cathrine Hall, originally the women's dormitory, but also contained classrooms. Completed in 1906, it was designed by architect Robert R. Taylor and named in honor of Cathrine Davis, Cottrell's first wife, in 1912. An educator and philanthropist, Cathrine donated $1,000 (about $35,000 in today's dollars) toward its construction. The building contained parts of an earlier antebellum mansion, the Mills House, which once stood on the site. Remnants of the older structure were visible only in interior sections where the new dormitory was built around and onto it. Cathrine Hall began to collapse in 2009 due to decades of weathering and structural decay. A second tornado-related collapse occurred in 2012, and the building was entirely demolished later that year. With no remains, not even a concrete foundation, the building's location is up for debate. Based on research of photographs, tree positions, and other information, the building is located directly south of Washington Hall.

Hammond Hall 1907

The second-oldest surviving structure on the MIC campus, Hammond Hall, served as the men's dormitory. Construction began in 1906 and was completed in 1907 by the firm Heavner & McGee. Like the original Catherine Hall, it was designed in the Jacobean Revival style. In the 1970s, a short connecting passageway was added to link Hammond Hall directly to the gymnasium as part of an unfinished expansion project. After the college closed in 1982, the Holly Springs Police Department occupied the building until 2010. Today, Hammond Hall is the second best-preserved of the four remaining main structures and the most inaccessible to the public. The individual for whom it is named remains unknown.

Washington hall 1910

Washington Hall named in honor of its largest contributor, philanthropist Booker T. Washington, was constructed in 1910 by Heavner & McGee. It was designed in the Colonial Revival architectural style,  closely resembling Cathrine hall. Washington hall was the heart of academics at MIC. Serving as the administrative and classroom building. The 2012 tornado that struck the campus demolished the central section of the building. The southern wing remained standing until early 2025, when it finally collapsed.

Carnegie auditorium 1923

Carnegie Auditorium, funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, is known as the largest auditorium explicitly built for African Americans in Mississippi, completed in 1923, by McKissack & McKissack in the same architectural style as Washington Hall. The auditorium stands about three stories tall, including a basement and stage. The auditorium held 2,000 seats for students with two levels of seating, ensuring a good spot for both lectures and shows. The auditorium lost its roof to the tornado, but the rest remains largely intact, aside from the plants that now inhabit it.

Davis Hall 1950, 1970

Built in 1950 as the men's gym, Davis Hall was the last building added to the MIC campus. The building is hollow, with a small portion raised for bleachers, built of cinderblock and concrete—the 1970 reconstruction aimed to expand Davis Hall, adding a passage way directly to Hammond Hall. The construction got as far as the passageway and mental beams, laying out the new structure. In 1980, construction stopped, never restarting due to MIC's closure, leaving the original gym intact. Surrounded by rusting additions, making the building appear half-demolished.

Supporting Buildings 

There are no documented records of the supporting structures that once stood on the original MIC campus. Only faint traces remain on old maps or can be discovered on-site today. Around six buildings existed, including a small pavilion (photographed on the left), the president's house—which remains in active use (photographed on the right), the gravestone presented by the classes of '55 and '56 to William M. Frazier, the college's longest-serving president of 24 years, and two or three small additional classrooms that have since collapsed, been demolished, or become completely overgrown. These classrooms are frequently mistaken for Catherine Hall, and the remains of one still stand directly behind Washington Hall. The president's house was the southernmost structure on the campus and would have sat to the left of Catherine Hall, while the gravestone stands directly in front of Washington Hall, and the pavilion is located between Washington Hall and Carnegie Auditorium.