In January of 1866, with the devastation of the Civil War far from<br><br>assuaged in the slowly recuperating South, Fisk University made its home<br><br>in abandoned Federal barracks near Nashville, Tennessee. The entire<br><br>region faced hardships after the conflict, but Southern blacks still<br><br>encountered what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles, even after the<br><br>emancipation of slaves. Within five years of its opening, Fisk was in such<br><br>a dire financial situation, many expected its closure; however, in an<br><br>effort to raise funds for the university, Professor George L. White and nine<br><br>students traveled the country performing in a musical ensemble known<br><br>as the Jubilee Singers. Their hard-won rise to fame led them to the White<br><br>House where they performed for President Ulysses S. Grant, and the<br><br>money they earned touring the country literally saved Fisk.<br><br>The spirit of the first Jubilee Singers lives on at Fisk today, but it is a<br><br>university much different than the one that opened in 1866. Today Fisk<br><br>is an institution fully equipped for the challenges of the future, noted<br><br>for its excellence in academics, and celebrated for the achievements of<br><br>its distinguished alumni. Whether in the classroom, on the playing field,<br><br>or on stage, Fisk students and faculty are torchbearers of achievement<br><br>in all areas of life. It is their unyielding determination that is celebrated<br><br>within these pages, as the university's history comes to life in vintage<br><br>photographs. Early classrooms, beloved professors, civic and social<br><br>organizations, sporting events, famed alumni, and the Jubilee Singers are<br><br>all included in this retrospective.