Fort King District in Ocala in Marion County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Florida Industrial School for Girls
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, December 11, 2024
1. Florida Industrial school for Girls Marker
The Florida Industrial School for Girls (FISG) was the states first reform school for white girls aged 9-18. The legislature authorized the school, and it opened in a temporary facility in Ocala in 1915. Two years later, FISG moved to its permanent location on a 122-acre campus several miles east of downtown Ocala. The site had been a part of a prison farm called Marion Farm. Beginning with 40 girls, the population of the school ranged between 100 and 200 students. East Hall, constructed by the Public Works Administration in 1936, was designed for confinement. In 1942, the Forest Hill School for Negro Girls opened fourteen miles north, in Lowell. Alyce P. McPherson served as superintendent of both schools from 1943 to 1970. The state renamed FISG the McPherson School for Girls upon her retirement. FISG integrated in 1966. Throughout its almost 70 years of existence, FISG changed to reflect evolving attitudes about reform. It became coeducational before closing in 1984. Marion County bought the property in 1986 for use as the McPherson Government Complex. The State required the county to renovate East Hall into a museum.
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A Florida Heritage Site
Erected 2023 by The Marion County Historical Commission and The Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1237.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1915.
Location. 29° 11.063′ N, 82° 6.014′ W. Marker is in Ocala, Florida, in Marion County. It is in the Fort King District. It is at the intersection of Southeast 26th Terrace and Southeast Third Street, on the left when traveling south on Southeast 26th Terrace. Marker located in front of the Marion County Museum of History and Archaeology. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 307 Southeast 26th Terrace, Ocala FL 34471, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, December 11, 2024
2. Florida Industrial School for Girls Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Confederate States of America (within shouting distance of this marker); France (within shouting distance of this marker); Great Britain (within shouting distance of this marker); United States of America (within shouting distance of this marker); Spain (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); War Between the States (about 600 feet away); The Battle Chickamauga, GA. (about 600 feet away); Chancellorsville (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ocala.
Also see . . . The East Hall of the Florida Industrial School for Girls. (Submitted on December 22, 2024, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.)
Photographed by Florida Memory, circa 1940
3. Florida Industrial School for Girls Aerial View
Photographed by Florida Memory, circa 1950s
4. Students in front of the Florida Industrial School for Girls
Credits. This page was last revised on December 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 22, 2024, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 769 times since then and 186 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 22, 2024, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.
