Swayne College, founded as the Swayne School, was a school for African American students in Montgomery, Alabama. The school operated from 1868 to 1937. Built in 1865[1] and dedicated in 1869, it was named for General Wager Swayne[2] who led the Union Army in Alabama after the American Civil War, and later oversaw the Freedmen's Bureau in the state. He helped establish schools for African Americans in Alabama.[3]

History

The school was located at 632 Union Street, near Grove Street, on a site submitted by Elijah Cook and was run by the American Missionary Association.[4][5][6] George Stanley Pope was the school's first principal. Its first African American principal was Charles Duncan, a graduate of Fisk University.[2] Richard Bailey writes that the school was among the first to utilize the "bush school" strategy, where educators sent the school's best students into the community to teach other African-American children.[7] Tuition for Montgomery students was free, those from neighboring areas paid $1.[7]

Swayne College was demolished in 1948[1] and succeeded on the same site in 1949 by the Booker T. Washington School, Montgomery's first high school for African Americans.[2][8] The community's schools later included Booker T. Washington Magnet High School,[9] a successor to George Washington Carver High School, and the Carver Creative and Performing Arts Center (CCPAC).

A historical marker commemorates the schools' site.[10][2][11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Brough, Charles (June 27, 1948). "School Name For A Yankee Is Razed Here". Montgomery Advertiser. pp. 1B, 11B. Retrieved February 20, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Swayne College / Booker T. Washington School - Montgomery, Alabama - Alabama Historical Markers on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com.
  3. "Wager Swayne". Encyclopedia of Alabama.
  4. Association, American Missionary (1876). Annual Report of the American Missionary Association. The Association.
  5. Wilkerson, Lyn (January 10, 2010). Slow Travels-Alabama. Lulu.com. ISBN 9780557140558 via Google Books.
  6. "Field Trip - Elijah Cook / City of Montgomery v. Rosa Parks". www.fieldtripper.com.
  7. 1 2 Bailey, Richard (February 21, 2010). Neither Carpetbaggers Nor Scalawags: Black Officeholders During the Reconstruction of Alabama, 1867-1878. NewSouth Books. ISBN 9781588381897 via Google Books.
  8. "Washington School Boasts Long Underground Tunnel". Montgomery Advertiser. November 6, 1955. p. H3. Retrieved February 20, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Booker T. Washington Magnet High School". Exploring Montgomery. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  10. Merritt, Quebe (July 5, 2004). "Unveiling Puts Past in Light". Montgomery Advertiser. pp. 1B, 4B. Retrieved February 20, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Swayne College / Booker T. Washington School Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org.
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