Lydia Howard
World Civilization I
TH 9:25 a. m.
November 20, 2014
Pearl River Community College
Pearl River Community College had humble beginnings. However, one trademark that has helped Pearl River to standout from other institutions has always been the faculty and administrators that are willing to assist students to be as successful as possible. The state of Mississippi labeled Poplarville a town in 1884, with a population of only 232 citizens in the town. In 1892, Poplarville High School was built. This building still stands today and is the site of the current Poplarville Lower Elementary School. The citizens of Poplarville voted to plant the first junior college in southern Mississippi in 1906. Pearl River College started at the beginning of the 1900’s and was Mississippi’s first county agricultural high school. The school only taught home sciences, agricultural, and academic studies to students that were high school age. Approximately twelve years later, the school became the first agricultural school in Mississippi to offer freshmen college courses to students. A fourth century later, in 1924, the school became the first fundamental public two-year college in Mississippi. This fundamental first step in collegiate education in Mississippi has pointed the way to advancements in education in the state.
Besides the outstanding, and quickly advancing academic achievements of the school, Pearl River College quickly became number one in one major sport that has been woven into American culture and society since it was introduced around the 19th century; football. The Pearl River College Wildcats won the first Mississippi football championship in 1925, began a whirlwind continuous winning streak for the next four years, and held the title of state champions for the first three years of the Mississippi Junior College Athletic Associations.
The following years, Pear River became more popular and had to accommodate more people. In 1926, Moody Hall was constructed. This building provided a combination of many classrooms and a gymnasium. It also housed the administration offices. To this day, Moody Hall remains the oldest junior college building in the state, currently still being used for instruction. Two years later in 1928, the women’s dormitory was built to accommodate the increased demand for dormitory space because of the additional college curriculum. In 1933, the school realized that there were still not enough dormitory spaces for students. That year, Pearl River Hall was built to add to the men’s dormitory space. In 1946, a dormitory for married veterans was built. The following year, a prefabricated building was obtained from the government, Jefferson Davis Hall. The vocational students, at no additional cost to the school, laid the brick on the exterior of the building. The next year also brought about a new building. The gymnasium was erected at the front of the campus. It was named after J.M. Shivers; the gym replaces the gym-auditorium in Moody Hall. Renovations were then made on Moody Hall, transforming the gym-auditorium into a regular auditorium with an elongated stage. In 1957, the metal trade building, the present day public relations building, was completed. Twenty years later in 1970, Marion Hall was built to replace Batson Hall, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Camille. The new dormitory featured apartments opening into an enclosed atrium with a large fountain, surrounded by study tables. It offered a convenient place for students to study and socialize. During this year, Moody Hall was also renovated and the Fine Arts Department moved into the remodeled building. The old Fine Arts Building was renovated, providing classrooms and office space. However, it was not until 1974, that Marvin R. White Coliseum was built, providing athletic office space, dressing areas, and a 3,000 seat arena. In 1981, Crosby Hall went through the first of several annexing projects. Annexes were built, along the
