With roots dating back to 1854, Lon Morris is the oldest two-year college in Texas.

Lon Morris College is a school with a proud tradition. Affiliated with and supported by the Texas Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, Lon Morris College seeks to provide leadership for the church and society. Founded in 1854 as the New Danville Masonic Female Academy near Kilgore, Lon Morris is the oldest existing two-year college in Texas. In 1873, the college moved to Kilgore and became property of the Kilgore Methodist Church, changing its name to Alexander Institute in honor of its president Isaac Alexander, an outstanding early Texas educator. The Texas Annual Conference acquired Alexander Institute in 1875. Chartered on January 15, 1887, it moved to Jacksonville in 1894 and to the present location in 1909. After R.A. (Lon) Morris of Pittsburg, Texas, endowed the school, and with approval of the Texas Annual Conference, the name was changed once more, in 1924, to Lon Morris College. At present, a permanent endowment fund, along with the Texas Annual Conference, under grinds the operations budget of the college.Lon Morris College chartered the first Texas chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, national scholastic honor society for two-year colleges, on January 18, 1929. The only two-year Methodist college west of the Mississippi River, Lon Morris College also has the distinction of having held membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools longer than any other two-year college in the state. It is also the only surviving pre-Civil War school in East Texas.

Lon Morris College is the oldest two-year institution of higher learning in the State of Texas.  Owned by the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, Lon Morris College strives to provide quality education in a small, caring Christian atmosphere.  Many United Methodist ministers of the Texas Annual Conference graduated from the school.  The Department of Fine Arts has produced graduates such as Tommy Tune, Sandy Duncan, Neal McCoy, and other notables in the entertainment industry.  It has produced graduates who have been successful in all walks of life.

Lon Morris College was founded in 1854 as the Danville Academy near Kilgore, Texas.  In 1875, the school became the property of the East Texas Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and changed its name to Alexander Collegiate Institute in honor of its president and outstanding early Texas educator, the Reverend Isaac Alexander.  The charter was obtained in 1886, and in 1894 the school was moved to its present location in Jacksonville, Texas.  The name was changed once more, in 1924, to Lon Morris College by approval of the Texas Annual Conference after R.A. “Lon” Morris of Pittsburg, Texas gave his estate to the school.

Lon Morris organized the first Phi Theta Kappa in Texas, which was begun in 1929.  Phi Theta Kappa is the national scholastic society for two-year colleges.  Lon Morris is the only two-year United Methodist college west of the Mississippi River, and it is the only surviving pre-Civil War school in East Texas.

Lon Morris faculty members create conditions that motivate and inspire students to devote time and energy in educationally, purposeful activities.  They guide the student’s progress toward future goals.  With an average student/faculty ratio of 10:1, faculty members offer personal attention to students.