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Preparatory Academies and Vanderbilt University
Principals
| 1890-1891 | L.B. Abell |
| 1891-1893 | James A. Bostick |
| 1893-unknown | William Whiteman |
| unknown | John Dinning |
Howard Institute
... Mount Pleasant, Tennessee
1890-1917
The Howard Institute, named for Tennessee education supporter Bithal Howard, opened in 1890, headed by L.B. Abell.
The Howard Institute. Courtesy of Wayne Austin
Abell was joined a year later by James Bostick and then by William Whiteman. The school’s students earned certificates enabling them to enter top universities, including Vanderbilt. Many of the students became Methodist ministers, and while the church was not officially attached to the denomination, it was unofficially supported by the Southern Methodist Episcopal Church.