History of CCAA

A Brief History of the CCAA Alumni House

The Alumni House. In the 1960s and 1970s Clarke College suffered debilitating declines in enrollment and financial support. By 1980, trustees, faced with possible closure, entered discussions with the Baptist State Education Commission, which recommended in November 1980 that control be transferred to Mississippi College. The transfer was completed August 1, 1981. This union lasted ten years. With continuing declines in finances and enrollment, Clarke College was officially closed at the end of the academic year in 1992.

In August 1996 the chairman of a special committee formed by the Mississippi Baptist Convention to dispose of the Clarke College property announced that the Mississippi State Department of Mental Health had entered into an option to purchase the campus for $1 million. Among the provisions of the sale, one acre of land with a house was reserved from the proposed sale and deeded to the Clarke College Alumni Association in October 1996 as directed by messengers to the 1995 Mississippi Baptist Convention annual meeting.

At some point between October 1996 and June 5, 2003, the CCAA, realizing it could not afford the maintenance and upkeep of the house and land, entered into discussions with officials of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board to determine the best course forward. Jim Futral signed a Quitclaim Deed on June 5, 2003, and on January 23, 2004, the CCAA, through its officers at the time, executed, signed and notarized a Warranty Deed transferring the house and property to the State of Mississippi for and on behalf of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health.

Since 2004, when the CCAA Alumni House was transferred back to CMRC, it has continued to be used by the CCAA and, in more recent years, the Clarke College Circle. Both groups have had free access to the property, with the CMRC acting as the proprietor. The groups each have scheduled workdays and instituted other improvements and furnishings for the betterment of the house and property.

Because the CCAA has had from the beginning the legal relationship with the Mississippi Department of Mental Health or any of its entities (Central Mississippi Residential Center (CMRC), and East Mississippi State Hospital (EMSH)), it bears responsibility for negotiating leases with said entity. Although there has been mention from the start of a 99-year lease on the house, neither entity has found a copy of such a document.

In 2022 negotiations began with East Mississippi State Hospital officials for a new ten-year lease. The lease was signed and notarized on September 14, 2022, and is now in effect. It provides for a continuing and ongoing place for alumni meetings, storage, and display of historic memorabilia. The new lease encumbers the CCAA for all maintenance on the inside of the house, with EMSH responsible for maintaining the outside of the house and grounds. The lease requires liability insurance, which has been arranged. The lease is renewable every ten years, with annual reports required as to our plans for the facility. The facility remains available for all alumni groups, as it has been.

Through the years the Alumni House has continued to provide a place for alumni meetings and fellowship opportunities. The house is filled with memorabilia, photos, yearbooks and other items sure to invoke memories of student days there. The house is equipped with a kitchen with refrigerator and provisions for light refreshments and is available to visit year-round except when previously-scheduled meetings or events are taking place.

We invite you to visit the CCAA Alumni House whenever you are in the area. Information on the house and how to access it are found on the Alumni House tab and clicking the How to Enter button. This page is in print form for your convenience.

Enjoy your visit!