A three-story brick building was erected on this site in 1872-74 to train blacks as teachers. The institute began in 1867 in a log house one-half mile north and later moved into the new building, financed mainly by friends. By 1879, it had trained 80 teachers. After closing in 1901, the building served as a place of quarantine for smallpox victims, as Maryville Polytechnic from 1904-26, and as Maryville High School from 1927-38.