Lincoln Memorial University Heritage

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Nursing Program History

Lincoln Memorial University grew out of love and respect for Abraham Lincoln and today honors his name, values, and spirit. As the legend goes, in 1863 Lincoln commented to General O. O. Howard, a Union officer, that when the Civil War ended, he hoped General Howard would do something for the people of this area.

In the late 1800s, Colonel A. A. Arthur, an organizing agent of an English company, purchased the area where LMU is located. His company built a hotel of 700 rooms called “The Four Seasons,” as well as a hospital, an inn, a sanitarium, and other smaller buildings. Roads were laid and the grounds planted with a wide variety of shrubs and trees. In 1895, the company was forced to abandon its project when a financial panic swept England.

Reverend A. A. Myers, a Congregationalist minister, came to the Cumberland Gap in 1888. He succeeded in opening the Harrow School, established for the purpose of providing elementary education to mountain children.

On a visit to the area to give a series of lectures at the Harrow School, General O. O. Howard remembered his commitment to fulfill Lincoln’s request, and he joined Reverend Myers, M. F. Overton, C. F. Eager, A. B. Kesterson and M. Arthur in establishing Lincoln Memorial University. That group, along with Robert F. Patterson, a Confederate veteran, became a board of directors and purchased The Four Seasons property. In commemoration of Lincoln’s birthday, the institution was chartered by the state of Tennessee on February 12, 1897, as Lincoln Memorial University.

Throughout the years, many thousands of LMU alumni have entered careers in medicine, law, and education. LMU graduates have positively impacted the educational opportunities, economic expansion, and health of countless communities in the Appalachian region and beyond.

LMU’s strong heritage has propelled the growth of the University over the last decade, leading to the addition of professional schools: the DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (DCOM), the Duncan School of Law (DSOL), and the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). Additionally, LMU has experienced growth at every degree level across the board.

LMU has expanded its international reach by partnering with educational institutions in Japan, Mongolia, China, Brazil, and Thailand.

Main Campus Community and Climate

LMU is located in Harrogate, Tennessee, in the heart of Appalachia, where the borders of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia meet. It is adjacent to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. The nearest town is Middlesboro, Kentucky, which offers shopping, a cinema, laundromats, dry cleaners, several restaurants, and other businesses college students may need to frequent. Harrogate offers several banks, churches, restaurants, a variety store, pharmacy, grocery store, and physicians’ and dentists’ offices, all within walking distance of the campus. Hillcrest Lanes features a 20-lane bowling alley located approximately three miles from campus. For those desiring an urban experience, Knoxville, Tennessee, is 55 miles south of the campus.

The climate in the area is pleasant, with cold temperatures and occasional snow December through February, and 80- degree temperatures July through August. Both fall and spring are pleasant seasons, with temperatures ranging from the 50s to the 70s.

Main Campus

The 1,000 acre main campus—its grounds, buildings, equipment—is strikingly beautiful. Located in a rural setting in Harrogate, Tennessee, the campus is a visual treat. Stately trees, shrubs and open spaces, along with farmland and rolling hills that become the Cumberland Mountains, create a natural recreational area for enjoying nature on campus. Biking, cross-country trails, hiking, mountain climbing, and camping in the surrounding environs are activities available for all to enjoy. A portion of the campus is part of the Daniel Boone Greenway Walking/Biking Trail.

LMU facilities are equipped with current technology and amenities that enhance the learning environment. The University’s Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum (ALLM) is a center for historical research and provides a number of educational programs for students, faculty, staff, and the general public. The ALLM is home to one of the nation’s largest and most diverse collections of Lincoln and Civil War artifacts and supports an unmatched collection of fine and popular art, commemorating Abraham Lincoln reaching back over 150 years. Scholars from every region of the globe have visited the ALLM to study the life and thoughts of the nation’s sixteenth president.

Duke Hall of Citizenship, along with its spacious Sam and Sue Mars Performing Arts Center, houses a few administrative offices, including Counseling Services, Accessible Education Services, and Information Services.

Grant-Lee Hall is the only original building on the Harrogate campus. It was part of the Four Seasons Hotel and has been recently renovated to house administrative offices for Academic Affairs, Academic and Student Support Services, general Administration, Human Resources, Finance, and University Advancement. University Advancement includes Alumni Services, Marketing, fundraising, publications, and social media.

Historic Avery Hall, the first building to be built on campus, houses offices, classrooms, and rehearsal space for the Paul V. Hamilton School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Farr-Chinnock Hall is home to the J. Frank White Academy, a college preparatory school for Grades 4-12. Kresge Hall houses the lower school grades K-3. Academy students also use several other University facilities including Mars Gym, the library, and the dining hall.

The Harold M. Finley Learning Resources Center houses the Carnegie-Vincent Library, the Tagge Academic Support Center, the Reed Health Sciences Library, the Dr. Mabel D. Smith Music Library, two computer labs, the Murray Alumni Lounge, and the Brooks Reading Room. The facility is the academic hub of campus with collections totaling more than 500,000 items including traditional and electronic books, electronic journals, bound periodicals, software, microfilm, and audiovisual materials. University Archives and Special Collections are housed in the Learning Resource Center as well.

LMU’s Elizabeth D. Chinnock Chapel completes the campus quadrangle and provides a non-denominational atmosphere for religious and meditative retreat.

DAR-Whitford Hall houses Undergraduate Admissions, the Registrar, Student Services, Financial Aid, and student accounts. Marketing and Public Relations are also located in this building.

Smith Manor, formerly known as the President’s Home, houses the President’s Office and the Office of University Counsel.

The Student Center is the hub for a variety of activities from eating meals to watching movies and playing games. This complex, which houses dining options such Chick-fil-a, Starbucks, and the dining hall, is also home to the University bookstore, a workout facility, the campus post office, the campus print shop, and some administrative offices, including the Office of Residence Life.

The DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (DCOM) facility houses the DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine and its programs, including the Physician Assistant Program, the Doctor of Medical Sciences program, and the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program. It contains lecture halls, faculty and administrative offices, laboratories, examination rooms, and classroom space.

The Schenck Center for Allied Health Sciences provides classrooms, faculty and administrative offices, laboratories, kennels, and surgical units to support the Veterinary Health Science (VHS), the Veterinary Medical Technology (VMT), and the Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) programs.
The Hamilton Math and Science Building houses faculty and administrative offices, classrooms, labs, and research space for the School of Mathematics and Sciences, the Caylor School of Nursing, the DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (DCOM), the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), and the Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) program.

The Business-Education Building houses faculty and administrative offices and classroom facilities for the Carter and Moyers School of Education and the School of Business.

The Lincoln Memorial University-College of Veterinary Medicine (LMU-CVM) occupies an 85,000 sq. ft. building on the Harrogate campus featuring two large lecture halls, 24 state-of-the art communications laboratories, simulation laboratories, basic and clinical sciences classrooms, study rooms, break areas, and ample research space along with offices for faculty, student and academic services, and clinical relations and outreach. In addition, the 1,000 acre DeBusk Veterinary Teaching Center (DVTC) is located in Ewing, VA and includes six buildings housing more than 90,000 sq. ft. of state-of-the-art facilities for teaching veterinary clinical skills in a safe and effective learning environment.

Campus housing facilities are available for 985 students in either double-occupancy, co-ed, or apartment-style accommodations (see Housing and Residence Life).

The 5,009-seat Tex Turner Arena is the centerpiece for the University’s NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletic program and the competition site for men’s and women’s basketball. It houses athletic department offices, a weight room, and an auxiliary gym, and is equipped for radio and television broadcasts. The Mary E. Mars Gymnasium, with its classrooms and basketball/volleyball court, is a multi-purpose facility. Complementing the many outdoor athletic facilities—Lamar Hennon Field (baseball), Neely Field (softball), soccer field, lacrosse field, golf complex, tennis courts, and physical fitness trails—the arena and the gym are home to our strong athletic teams that have a consistent tradition of winning in athletic competitions.

LMU has intercollegiate athletic programs in men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, tennis, lacrosse, soccer, track and field, golf, bowling, and volleyball; women’s softball and beach volleyball; and men’s baseball.

Other important facilities exist on or near campus. The Cumberland Mountain Research Center was created in 1990 for the purpose of providing research and training opportunities for LMU students and graduates.

LMU facilities, located in the historic town of Cumberland Gap, includes space for the applied arts and a Convention Center (see LMU Website).

Off-Campus Sites

To meet the needs of the population of its service area, LMU operates a number of off-campus sites in communities where clusters of students and potential students have demonstrated need and support.

The off-campus sites are at the following locations:

LMU’s Nursing Program is offered at

  • Knoxville, TN- Cedar Bluff
    421 Park 40 North Blvd
    Knoxville, TN 37923
  • Knoxville, TN – LMU Tower
    1705 St. Mary’s St.
    Knoxville, TN 37917
  • Corbin, KY -Tri-County Square Shopping Center
    14892 North U.S. Highway 25E Second Floor 
    Corbin, KY 40701
    Licensed by the Kentucky Commission on Proprietary Education
  • Tampa, FL -
    3102 East 138th Avenue
    Tampa, FL 33613
  • LMU-Chattanooga 
    555 Walnut Street Building A South, Suite A and Suite B 
    Chattanooga, TN 37402
  • LMU-Lexington
    Saint Joseph Hospital 1451 Harrodsburg Road, 4th Floor
    Lexington, KY 40504

Selected programs or courses are offered at

For more information about LMU’s off-campus sites, contact the Office of Academic Affairs at 423.869.7000.

Tampa, Florida Off-Campus Site

The LMU Caylor School of Nursing is housed in a recently renovated building located at 3102 East 138th Avenue, Tampa, FL 33613. This 18,118 square foot facility was specifically designed with state-of-the-art resources to promote 21st century nursing education. The building is fully equipped with classrooms, simulation labs, study areas, library resources, a computer lab, faculty offices, conference rooms, etc., and ample parking is available on site. The Tampa off-campus site can be reached via phone at 813-331-4614.