Americus Institute

Major W. Reddick served as the first principal for the school

The idea for a secondary school in Americus, Georgia designed to educate the African American youth of the area began in 1878 amongst the members of the Southwestern Colored Baptist Association.[1][note 1] Americus was located in Georgia's Black Belt,[3] with about 1 million African Americans living within 100 miles (160 km) of the city.[4] Despite the large population, the area lacked adequate educational facilities for African Americans.[3] Within a few years, the organization had raised roughly $1,300 in cash and had acquired about 17 acres (6.9 ha) of land to serve as the school's campus.[1] However, by the 1890s, the money raised for the school had been mishandled and the size of the campus had shrunk significantly.[1][note 2] Additionally, the initial enthusiasm for the school had subsided within the group.[1] Despite this, the school, known as Americus Institute, was officially founded in 1897.[2][4] According to an article in the Southern Workman, the school's founders had three goals for the school:[4]

1. To provide a thorough high-school education for Negro youth.
2. To develop a spirit of self-support in Negro education.
3. To stimulate friendly relationship between the races.

Major W. Reddick, a graduate from Atlanta Baptist College's first graduating class,[5][6] served as the initial principal,[1] with a total faculty of two.[4][note 3] The school held its first class on October 2, 1897,[1] with nine students in a small two-room cottage.[4] In its first year of existence, the owners of the school donated roughly $400 for the school's maintenance.[7]

In the years following its establishment, the school grew steadily.[1] The two-room cottage was expanded with additional rooms and a second floor, and a dining hall and dormitories for boys and girls were also built on the campus.[1] By 1907, the faculty had grown to eight, of whom seven had had professional training in education and six had graduated from Spelman Seminary.[8] Additionally, the number of students had increased to 175 students from Southwest Georgia and Florida.[3] That same year, on April 11, one of the dormitories was destroyed in a fire, with Reddick requesting $10,000 in donations to help improve the school.[9] By 1908, the school had 193 students,[10] and in May of that year, noted African American leader Booker T. Washington spoke at the school.[11] By 1909, the school was one of 26 that received financial support from the American Baptist Home Mission Society.[12] The school's annual expenses at this time were about $8,500, while the value of the school's property was about $21,000.[13] In a report from Atlanta Baptist College President George Sale, he spoke highly of the school during this time, stating, "No institution I know of bids so fair to become a great academy for Negro pupils as Americus".[6]

Students at the school, c. 1910

In 1917, the school was covered in a report published by the United States Office of Education, which had visited the school in both November 1913 and February 1916.[14] In their report, the office stated that the school "serves as a central institution in which pupils may supplement the training received in the rural schools".[15] Additionally, they noted that the school's "good management is seriously handicapped by lack of funds".[16] The school at this time had 14 teachers and 98 students, though the enrollment for the entire year was 200.[16] As part of the office's conclusions for the school, they recommended that more emphasis be placed on industrial education and that the school needed additional financial support.[16]

Historical marker for Americus Institute

By 1921, the school, with an enrollment of 229 students,[17] was receiving funding from the General Education Board.[18] Additional funding from this time came from the school's 153 acres (62 ha) farm, which generated a net profit of $1,387 in 1922.[4] While the school continued to promote a curriculum of practice over theory, many students from Americus matriculated to some of the best historically black colleges and universities in the country.[4] By 1929, the school became one of five secondary schools to become affiliated with Morehouse College (the new name of Atlanta Baptist College).[19] The school filed for bankruptcy in 1930[20] and permanently closed in 1932.[2] The city purchased the property in 1934 to build a new African American high school.[21]

A historical marker now stands on the former grounds of the school.[2] In February 2020, as part of Black History Month celebrations, the Americus Welcome Center held a tour of the city that highlighted locations of importance to the city's African American history, with Americus Institute being included on the tour.

• Media related to Americus Institute at Wikimedia Commons