A historic building at Knoxville College, one of the oldest HBCUs in Tennessee, was destroyed in a fire on Nov. 4. Although unused, Elnathan Hall is part of the college’s buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Elnathan Hall was left in ruins, Knox News reported.
The fire was reported to 911 around 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 4. About 40 firefighters were called to the scene, according to a news release from the Knoxville Fire Department. Two trucks and four firefighters were still on location in the early hours of Nov. 5.
Authorities believe the fire was a deliberate attempt of arson, cooking or warming. Investigators are still looking into the fire, according to Knoxville Fire Department Assistant Chief Mark Wilbanks.
“Nothing new as far as any suspects or anything like that. We do believe it was a set fire. We don’t have any leads at this time, but the investigators were told a few people’s names. They are still looking into that,” he said last Thursday.
Founded in 1875 by the United Presbyterian Church of North America, Knoxville College is one of Tennessee’s seven HBCUs. The institution lost its Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation in 1997 and its state accreditation in 2015. Classes started being offered online in 2018 and the campus has been unoccupied since then.
Debt and a lack of funding has led to low enrollment, aging buildings and its loss of accreditation. Knoxville College is not the only HBCU to face such difficulties. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Education notified 16 governors of a $12 billion disparity in funding between land-grant HBCUs and non-HBCU land-grant institutions.
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