Sabine Normal and Industrial Institute

Sabine Normal and Industrial Institute was a normal school and vocational school for African American students in Converse, Louisiana. It was also known as Sabine Industrial Institute.

History

The African American neighborhood in Converse, Louisiana was known as Babsoline. The first Black school in Converse was established by W. B. Purvis.
The Sabine Normal and Industrial Institute was founded on November 2, 1903 by professor Robert Edward Jacobs. Jacobs was a graduate from Coleman College. After Jacobs died in 1917, S. B. Belton served as the principal.
The land for the school campus was donated by the Black community of Converse. The campus of the school was once physically surrounded by the Saline Baptist Church, however the church was not a part of the school.
The school offered classes in teacher training, blacksmithing, vocational agriculture, domestic science, and wheelwrighting. M. L. Jacobs, Jacobs' wife and a fellow Coleman grad, taught domestic science. Lillie Mae Baddie taught music, and A. J. Jones taught agriculture.
In 1918, The school was turned over to the Sabine Parish School Board and the school name was changed to Sabine Industrial Institute. It closed in 1928. A historical marker commemorates the school's history.