RuralSWAlabama

Blacksher Home at Uriah, AL (ca. 1891)

This home was built circa 1891 for timber magnate James Uriah Blacksher. At one point, Blacksher owned more than one hundred thousand acres of land and a large lumber industry. He also owned a bank, a store, and railroads. Blacksher had a big impact on …

Dallas Academy Building at Selma, AL (built c. 1889, listed on the NRHP)

This two-story, Renaissance Revival building, built ca. 1889, originally housed a private school funded by the Ladies Educational Society of Selma to educate the sons and daughters of Selma’s wealthy citizens. Dallas Academy later became Selma’s first …

Emory School at Cedarville, AL in Hale County (ca. 1915; a historic Rosenwald School)

Emory School, also known as the Tunstall School, is a historic Rosenwald School building located in rural Hale County, AL about midway between Greensboro and Gallion. It was built ca. 1915 under the Julius Rosenwald School Building Fund program to serv …

FIRST DISTRICT AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Historical Marker at Jackson, AL

In 1891, nine agricultural schools, one in each congressional district, were authorized by the Alabama Legislature. One of the schools was located at Jackson on College Avenue at the location of the present day Jackson Middle School and Alabama Souther …

Judson College at Marion, AL (established 1838, listed on the NRHP)

Judson College was established in 1838 by members of Siloam Baptist Church, and it opened January 7, 1839. Judson is the fifth oldest women’s college in the United States. The college was named for Ann Hasseltine Judson, the first female foreign missio …

Lincoln Normal School’s Phillips Memorial Auditorium at Marion, AL

The Lincoln Normal School was a historic African American school in Marion, Alabama. Lincoln Normal was founded in 1867 by freed slaves as a school for African-American children. In 1870, the school expanded to include teacher training and for a time b …

Marengo County High School at Thomaston, AL (the oldest public school building in Marengo County)

The town of Thomaston, which was founded by Dr. Charles B. Thomas, was incorporated November 15, 1901. In 1907, the Alabama State Legislature voted to set aside money for the establishment of a consolidated, school in each county. Records from 1905 sho …

Marion Military Institute at Marion, AL (traces origin to 1842, three buildings listed on the NRHP)

Marion Military Institute (MMI) traces its origins back to 1842 with the creation of Howard College in Marion, Alabama by the Alabama Baptist Convention.  From 1863 to 1865, two buildings on the Howard College campus served the Confederacy as Breckenri …

Mesopotamia Female Seminary (1846) at Eutaw, AL

The original site of the Mesopotamia Female Seminary was just west of Eutaw. In 1889 this building was moved to the present location at the intersection of Main & Wilson.  It became the core of Eutaw Female College, a reorganization of the old Euta …

Moore Academy at Pine Apple, AL in Wilcox County

Moore Academy was founded in 1882 by John “Trotwood” Moore, who was an author, archeologist, and poet.  The initial school was a two-story wood frame building.  The present brick structure was completed in 1923.  Its style is eclectic and typical of ea …

Nanafalia School at Nanafalia, AL (built 1928; closed 1961)

This school building was built in 1928. The school closed May 1961 and its students started attending Sweet Water High School. The Nanafalia School building has been well maintained and is still in good condition. It is located in south Marengo County …

Oak Grove School in Hale County near Gallion, AL (a historic Rosenwald School; listed on the NRHP)

The Oak Grove School is a historic two-room Rosenwald School that was built to serve the local African-American community. The school was constructed in 1925 under the Julius Rosenwald School Building Fund program according to the designs of Samuel Smi …