These records were created by Bethune-Cookman University

On October 4, 1904, Mary McLeod Bethune founded what is today Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Having realized that the young children of African-American laborers who worked on Florida's railroads had no opportunities to receive an education, Mary McLeod Bethune rented a small house on Oak Street, the site of the annual fall Oak Street Pilgrimage, to educate those children. The university's first incarnation was the Daytona Normal and Industrial School for Girls, a name it held until Cookman Institute became incorporated into the school in 1923. After the merger, the school became known as Bethune-Cookman College, and for most of its existence has been known as such. In 2007, Bethune-Cookman College received its accreditation as a university from the Southern Assocation of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Bethune-Cookman University was also funded by the Methodist Episcopal Church, and religion played an important role in not only in Mary McLeod Bethune's life but also in the lives of her staff and students. Sunday community meetings were held every week not only for the university but also for the community. Mary McLeod Bethune was born in 1875, died in 1955, and is interred on campus. Her home, Bethune House, and her gravesite are recognized as United Methodist Historic Sites.

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