Ashview Heights in Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Booker T. Washington High School
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, March 16, 2025
1. Booker T. Washington High School Marker
Inscription.
Booker T. Washington High School. . Opening in 1924, Booker T. Washington High School was Atlanta's first public secondary school for Black students. As with other Southern school systems at the time, the Atlanta Board of Education disproportionately allocated funds toward White schools. The Atlanta Neighborhood Union, a Black-women-led social activism organization, surveyed existing Black schools in 1913, proving them overcrowded, unsanitary, and lacking materials. Led by the local NAACP chapter and Neighborhood Union, the Black community mobilized, registering and voting against education bonds in 1918 and 1919 that did not support Black schools. The pressure produced a referendum that included a Black high school and increased funds for Black schools. Washington was the only secondary school for Black students until 1947 and has produced prominent alumni and educators, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Lena Horne, and Dr. Louis Sullivan.
Opening in 1924, Booker T. Washington High School was Atlanta's first public secondary school for Black students. As with other Southern school systems at the time, the Atlanta Board of Education disproportionately allocated funds toward White schools. The Atlanta Neighborhood Union, a Black-women-led social activism organization, surveyed existing Black schools in 1913, proving them overcrowded, unsanitary, and lacking materials. Led by the local NAACP chapter and Neighborhood Union, the Black community mobilized, registering and voting against education bonds in 1918 and 1919 that did not support Black schools. The pressure produced a referendum that included a Black high school and increased funds for Black schools. Washington was the only secondary school for Black students until 1947 and has produced prominent alumni and educators, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Lena Horne, and Dr. Louis Sullivan.
Erected 2024 by Georgia Historical Society, The Rich's Foundation, and Atlanta Alumni Association of Booker T. Washington High School, Inc. (Marker Number 60-39.)
Location. 33° 45.208′ N, 84° 25.202′ W. Marker is in Atlanta, Georgia, in Fulton County. It is in Ashview Heights. It is at the intersection of Whitehouse Drive Southwest and Washington Place Southwest, on the right when traveling south on Whitehouse Drive Southwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 45 Whitehouse Dr SW, Atlanta GA 30314, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Citizens Trust Bank (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, March 16, 2025
Credits. This page was last revised on March 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 25, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 181 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 25, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
