Old Fourth Ward in Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Bryant Preparatory Institute
533 Auburn Avenue
— Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site —
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 20, 2021
1. Bryant Preparatory Institute Marker
… I just dug into the work, over and over, working all the time, carrying my books with me wherever I went, reading, going over the lessons until they were ready to pop out of my ears.… — Martin Luther King, Sr., who, as a truck driver, started at Bryant at age 20 in the fifth grade and went on to college
Caption:
• Sylvia Jenkins Bryant (left) offered courses in reading, writing, arithmetic, dressmaking, printing, and other trades. Her husband, the Rev. Peter James Bryant, taught a course for up-and-coming preachers.
• Bryant Institute students and faculty (below), 1925.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.
Location.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Nowell Family House (a few steps from this marker); Harper House (a few steps from this marker); A Relaxing Atmosphere (within shouting distance of this marker); Neighborhood Transformed (within shouting distance of this marker); Bryant-Graves House (within shouting distance of this marker); Neighborhood Pride (within shouting distance of this marker); Apartment House (within shouting distance of this marker); Stepping Up (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Atlanta.
Regarding Bryant Preparatory Institute. Excerpt from “Negro education; a study of the private and higher schools for colored people in the United States” by the United States Office of Education (1917). This a report from an October, 1913 site visit:
… An effective little school occupying five rooms above a grocery store on a down-town street. Founded and managed by Mrs. S. C. Bryant under the direction of a boardof trustees. Her husband, Rev. P. J. Bryant, is minister of a large colored Baptist church which is the school's “main pillar of support.”Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 20, 20212. Bryant Preparatory Institute Marker
Attendance and organization. — The pupils, numbering 170, were the children crowded out of the public schools and adults whose education has been neglected. Nine teachers are employed. Cooking and sewing are given an important part in the course. The adults taking these subjects are servants who desire to increase their usefulness to their employers or mothers seeking the power to improve their homes.
The elementary day classes and the night school are well taught. The effort to maintain high-school classes is an unwise expenditure of time and energy in a city with five large private schools offering secondary instruction.
Financial, 1912-13. — The income amounted to $1,400, of which $800 was from tuition and fees and $600 from contributions of colored Baptist associations. All of the funds were used for salaries and running expenses.
Recommendation. — The institution should be maintained on a social-settlement basis as a school for the neglected groups and for adults desiring to acquire the rudiments of an education.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 407 times since then and 132 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 21, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on November 22, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
