Edward Waters University Turns 160: Jacksonville Council Votes 19-0 to Honor the School Founded in 1866, at Its Current Site Since 1904

ward Waters University Turns 160: Jacksonville Council Votes 19-0 to Honor the School Founded in 1866, at Its Current Site Since 1904

SEO title: Edward Waters University at 160: Jacksonville History

SEO description: Jacksonville City Council voted 19-0 to honor Edward Waters University's 160th anniversary. Explore its 1866 founding, 1901 fire and historic campus.

Source: Jacksonville City Council legislative records (Legistar), Resolution 2026-0827-A; Jacksonville Today, The Jaxson

Category: History / Education

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jacksonville City Council voted 19-0 on Oct. 27, 2026, to approve a resolution celebrating the 160th anniversary of Edward Waters University, an institution founded in 1866 that lost its original Downtown location in the Great Fire of 1901 and has occupied its current campus since 1904. Resolution 2026-0827-A recognizes the university's history and its relationship with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, according to the city's legislative records. The university's historic district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022, covers 11.16 acres and includes six contributing buildings, according to a historical account published by The Jaxson through Jacksonville Today.

The anniversary resolution describes Edward Waters as Florida's first independent institution of higher learning and its first historically Black college or university. Those designations are stated in the council resolution, while Jacksonville Today's historical account separately identifies the university as Florida's first historically Black college. The legislative record listed the resolution as awaiting the mayor's signature following the Oct. 27 council approval.

Jacksonville City Council Approves 160th Anniversary Resolution

Jacksonville City Council approved Resolution 2026-0827-A by a unanimous 19-0 vote on Oct. 27, according to the city's Legistar legislative tracking system. The resolution celebrates Edward Waters University's 160th anniversary and recognizes its history in Jacksonville. It also acknowledges the African Methodist Episcopal Church's relationship with the institution.

Council member Johnson introduced the resolution Oct. 13, according to Legistar. The legislative record identifies Pittman, Peluso, Clark-Murray, Salem, Amaro and Howland as co-sponsors. The council's Rules Committee approved the measure 7-0 on Oct. 19 before it advanced to the full council.

The resolution's title describes Edward Waters as Florida's first independent institution of higher learning and first historically Black college or university. These descriptions reflect the language of the city resolution. The source material does not describe any anniversary events.

Legistar identifies the measure as Matter 8946. Following the Oct. 27 vote, the legislative record listed its status as "Awaiting Mayor's Signature." As of Nov. 1, the record did not show that the mayor had signed the resolution, and this story has not confirmed a signature since.

Edward Waters University Was Founded in 1866

Edward Waters University was founded in 1866 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, according to The Jaxson's historical account published by Jacksonville Today on Sept. 26, 2023. The founding date places the institution's 160th anniversary in 2026. The account also describes Edward Waters as Florida's first historically Black college.

The university's history extends through several changes in location and institutional designation. According to The Jaxson, Edward Waters has operated continuously since 1883. The dates below trace the school's original Downtown location and its present campus.

The African Methodist Episcopal Church remains part of the institution's documented history. Jacksonville City Council specifically recognized that connection in its anniversary resolution. The university's oldest remaining historic building, Centennial Hall, was also constructed in connection with an anniversary of the church.

The founding date of 1866 is the basis for the 160-year anniversary recognized by the council. The Jaxson's historical account establishes additional milestones, including the institution's move to its current campus and its later change from college to university. Those events form the documented chronology behind the anniversary resolution.

The Great Fire of 1901 and the Move to the Current Campus

Edward Waters University's original Downtown location was destroyed during Jacksonville's Great Fire of 1901, according to The Jaxson. This story does not go beyond that statement. The account used here gives no further details about the fire's effects on the school.

The university has occupied its current site since 1904, according to Jacksonville Today's account. That places its arrival at the present location three years after the destruction of the original Downtown site. By 2026, the institution had been associated with its current campus for 122 years.

The campus is located approximately two miles northwest of Downtown Jacksonville, according to The Jaxson. The campus is also the site of the historic district listed in 2022. The present campus contains structures associated with different periods of the institution's development.

The 1901 fire and the 1904 move are among the major dates in the university's documented history. They also precede the construction of the oldest remaining building identified in the historic district account. Centennial Hall, completed in 1916, dates from 12 years after the institution established itself at the current location.

Six Buildings Contribute to the National Historic District

The Edward Waters University Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Aug. 8, 2022, according to The Jaxson's Jacksonville Today account. The district encompasses 11.16 acres. Its designation recognizes six contributing buildings within the historic area.

The historical account identifies several campus buildings associated with different periods of development. These include Centennial Hall, the former B.F. Lee Theological Seminary, Milne Auditorium, the Bishop Henry Tookes Building, M.B. Salter Hall, the Hatcher-Stewart Science and Mathematics Building and the George N. Collins Student Center. Although the account names these structures, it does not identify which six are formally counted as contributing buildings.

Centennial Hall is the oldest remaining building identified in the account. Constructed in 1916, it commemorated the 100th anniversary of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Its history connects the campus's physical development with the church recognized in the city's 160th anniversary resolution.

The B.F. Lee Theological Seminary building dates to 1925, according to the main historical description, and is now known as the Lee-Cousins Building. The source's photograph caption gives a different construction year of 1928. Milne Auditorium is also identified in the account as an adjacent campus structure, without a construction date given in the account.

Campus Buildings Reflect Different Periods of Development

The Bishop Henry Tookes Building dates to 1945 and was expanded in 1955, according to The Jaxson. Its construction and later expansion occurred during the university's long period at the present campus. The building is one of the structures named in the historical account of the district.

M.B. Salter Hall has a history involving an earlier structure and a later replacement. According to The Jaxson, the original building dated to approximately 1909 and was destroyed by fire in April 1936. The current M.B. Salter Hall building dates to 1950.

The Hatcher-Stewart Science and Mathematics Building was constructed in 1968, according to Jacksonville Today's historical account. It is located at 1740 Kings Road and encompasses approximately 24,000 square feet. That address identifies the science and mathematics building, rather than a separately documented visitor entrance for the campus.

The George N. Collins Student Center dates to 1972, according to The Jaxson. The account identifies Boyer & Boyer in connection with the building. Its construction represents another period of campus development documented in the university's historical district profile.

Together, the named structures cover building dates from 1916 through 1972. The university's historic district designation came decades after the construction of those facilities. The 2022 listing recognizes the campus's historical significance while the institution continues operating at the location established in 1904.

Edward Waters Became a University in 2021

The institution adopted the name Edward Waters University in 2021, according to Jacksonville Today's historical account. Before that change, it operated as Edward Waters College. The transition occurred five years before the 160th anniversary recognized by Jacksonville City Council.

The name change did not alter the institution's 1866 founding date. The Jaxson's chronology places the university designation within a much longer institutional history. The school had already occupied its current Jacksonville campus for more than a century when the designation changed.

The historic district listing followed in 2022, one year after the university name change. According to The Jaxson, the National Register designation was recorded Aug. 8 of that year. The two milestones preceded the 2026 anniversary resolution.

The university's documented history therefore includes both institutional and physical changes. Its development encompasses the original founding, the destruction of the Downtown site, the move in 1904, decades of campus construction and the 2021 name change. Each milestone appears in the historical chronology published by The Jaxson.

A Timeline of Edward Waters University's 160 Years

The following timeline summarizes the dates identified in Jacksonville Today's historical account and the city's 2026 legislative records. The milestones include the institution's founding, relocation, construction history, historic designation and anniversary recognition. The dates are drawn from those two sources.

The timeline spans 160 years between the institution's founding and the council's anniversary action. The earliest campus building still standing in the identified historical account dates to 1916, while the university has occupied the current property since 1904. The district's 2022 designation and the 2026 council resolution are separate recognitions of that history.

Where the University and Anniversary Resolution Stand Today

Edward Waters University's campus is approximately two miles northwest of Downtown Jacksonville, according to The Jaxson's historical account. The university's historic district occupies 11.16 acres and includes six contributing buildings. The Hatcher-Stewart Science and Mathematics Building is specifically identified at 1740 Kings Road.

Jacksonville City Council's anniversary measure is recorded as Resolution 2026-0827-A in the city's legislative tracking system. The record documents its Oct. 13 introduction, 7-0 Rules Committee approval on Oct. 19 and 19-0 council approval on Oct. 27. Its listed status following those actions was awaiting the mayor's signature.

The resolution recognizes an institution founded in 1866 that has occupied its current location since 1904. Jacksonville Today's historical account documents the university's physical development, its 2021 name change and the historic district listing in 2022. Those milestones provide the historical context for the council's 160th anniversary recognition.