LeMoyne Normal and Commercial School was founded in 1862, when the
American Missionary Association (AMA) sent Lucinda Humphrey to open an elementary school at
Camp Shiloh (Tennessee) for free blacks and escaped slaves. This was one of more than ten schools founded by the AMA, an integrated organization led by black and white Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian ministers. The school was established soon after the occupation of Memphis by Federal troops during the
Civil War; they were based at Camp Shiloh outside the city limits to the south. First known as Lincoln Chapel, the school relocated into Memphis proper in 1863 from south of the city. In 1866 it was destroyed during
white race riots that broke out following the withdrawal of federal troops. The school was rebuilt, and in 1867 it reopened with 150 students and six teachers. In 1870,
Francis Julius LeMoyne (1798–1879), a
Washington, Pennsylvania doctor, donated $20,000 (~$ in ) to the American Missionary Association to build an elementary and secondary school for prospective teachers. LeMoyne, who was a notable
abolitionist, traveled from his Pennsylvania home to visit the new school. He donated a clock for the school's tower. In 1871, the school opened in a new building at 284 Orleans Street and was named LeMoyne Normal and Commercial School. In 1914 the school moved from Orleans Street to its present site on Walker Avenue.
Steele Hall, the first building on the new campus, was erected that same year. LeMoyne became a junior college in 1924. After developing a four-year curriculum, it became a four-year college in 1930. The LeMoyne College was chartered by the State of Tennessee four years later. Steele Hall was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and the core of the college's campus was listed on the National Register in 2005. Owen College was established as a junior college in 1947, when the Tennessee Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention bought property for that purpose on Vance Avenue. After they developed the facility, S. A. Owen Junior College opened at that location in 1954. LeMoyne–Owen College was formed through the 1968 merger of LeMoyne College and Owen College, both private, historically black, church-affiliated colleges. In 2007, LeMoyne-Owen had management and accreditation problems due to a lack of financial resources. The
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools placed the college on probation for two years. In August 2007, the City of Memphis ensured the college would open for the fall 2007 semester by pledging $3 million in taxpayer funds to be added to other substantial pledges from the
United Negro College Fund,
Cummins, radio host
Tom Joyner and the
United Church of Christ. The donation pledge, approved by the City Council, aroused controversy. City councilmembers defended their actions as contributing to the city and its residents. The college's president Johnnie B. Watson said that the college has reaffirmed its accreditation. It had increased its endowment to 20 million dollars in 2014. In July 2020, LeMoyne-Ownen College received the largest donation in its history. A $40 million pledge from the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis quadrupled the college's endowment. LeMoyne-Ownen's president called the gift "transformative" for all that the college does and can do. The Community Foundation will give approximately $2 million annually. == Historic district ==