In 1898, the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, seeking to serve the educational needs of black students opened a school and church in Thomasville, Williams Temple CME Church. Four years later, the CME Church began construction on another facility at Booker City (now called Docena) located near Birmingham. This school was to serve the needs of black students in the north half of Alabama. In 1907, the Thomasville and Booker City schools consolidated into present day Miles College which is located at Fairfield, AL near Birmingham.
The early Thomasville campus had eight or nine buildings. Students came from distant communities to attend school and were housed in the campus dormitory buildings. When the dorms were destroyed by fire, local folks boarded the students. Miles College and local trustees provided supplies and salaries. Williams Temple served both as a school and church until the 1930’s. All that remains at Thomasville today is the Williams Temple Church building which was erected in 1909. It is a contributing property to the Thomasville Historic District that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This church is located on Davis Avenue near downtown Thomasville, AL (GPS coordinates 31.910235, -87.733105).
Sources: 1) Williams’ Temple CME Church Historical Marker; 2) NRHP “Thomasville Historic District” Registration Form.