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Centenary is
closely associated with the name of James Lanius, who came to
Palmyra in 1884 to take charge of Centenary High School, a
Methodist School.
It was located
on the southeast corner of Lane and Olive Street. This was also
the former location of a private school operated for a time by the
Misses Pryor and McGuire.
Mr. Lanius
went to St. Charles to take charge of St. Charles Academy in 1891.
In 1892 the Centenary High School became Centenary College with a
new building and dormitory located on the present high school
grounds. Professor Lanius returned to Palmyra in 1898 to take
charge of the school but stipulated it must be made an academy.
Centenary, however, gave some freshman college courses which were
accepted by Central College and therefore, the colleges in the
Missouri College Union.
Mr.
Lanius bought the buildings and grounds and later sold them to the
Palmyra School District. The main building was destroyed by fire
in 1920 and the dormitory was razed in 1966 to make room for the
Lloyd W. King Arts Building. |
