January 17, 1890

The buildings of St. Johns’ College in Little Rock (Pulaski County), the first college in Arkansas to receive a charter, burned to the ground. The Grand Lodge of Arkansas had ended its funding of the college in 1878 and “leased” it to Professor Leo Baier. Baier made some improvements, and the enrollment increased to 142 by 1881. After Baier retired, W. J. Alexander assumed the contract, and the college continued until 1882, when the Grand Lodge voted to sell all the property of the college and the Masonic Addition in order to raise funds to build a new Masonic temple in Little Rock. No students were taught at St. Johns’ after 1882.