Marianna in Jackson County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Arthur G.Dozier School for Boys
Photographed by James L.Whitman, August 2, 2025
1. The Arthur G.Dozier School for Boys Marker
As early as 1901, reports, of abuse surfaced of children being chained to walls in irons, brutal whippings and involuntary servitude. Documents maintained by the school recorded 100 deaths through 1960 for twostaff and 98 boys ranging in age from 6 to 18and found that families were often notified after burial or denied access to their remains. In 1955, the Okeechobee School was opened to address concerns of overcrowding, where similar practices were implemented.
In 2005, former students began publishing accounts of the abuse they experienced. Beginning in 2008, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated 32 unmarked graves on the Marianna campus in response to complaints lodged by former students. In 2010, the
this page online
In 2011, The University of South Florida (USF) began conducting research that included excavations, exhumations, and using a forensics team, ground penetrating radar and archaeological test excavations to detect graves. During the course of its investigation, USF excavated 55 graves at the Marianna campus.
In 2016, the Florida Legislature approved funding for each child whose body was buried and exhumed, for funeral, reinterment and grave marker expenses. In 2017, Lawmakers funded this memorial, a memorial at the Florida Capitol, reinterments and grave markers in Jackson County and in Tallahassee. In 2017, the Florida Legislature issued resolutions apologizing to the boys who were confined at both, the Marianna and Okeechobee campuses, and their families for the wrongs they endured.
This memorial is dedicated to honor the boys who were confined at the school and their families for the wrongs committed against them, and to
Photographed by James L.Whitman, August 2, 2025
2. The Arthur G.Dozier School for Boys Marker
Sculptor, Frank Castelluccio
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Civil Rights • Law Enforcement. A significant historical date for this entry is January 1, 1900.
Location. 30° 45.472′ N, 85° 15.462′ W. Marker is in Marianna, Florida, in Jackson County. It is on Museum Circle near Gov Rick Scott Drive, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4091 Museum Cir, Marianna FL 32448, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Florida Panhandle. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep 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 Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum
Photographed by James L.Whitman, August 2, 2025
3. The Arthur G.Dozier School for Boys Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Gilmore Academy - Jackson County Training School (approx. 1½ miles away); The West End Community (approx. 1.8 miles away); Fighting at Ely Corner (approx. 1.9 miles away); Ely-Criglar House (approx. 1.9 miles away); The Russ House (approx. 1.9 miles away); The Holden House (approx. 1.9 miles away); St. Luke's Churchyard (approx. 1.9 miles away); Site of the Battle of Marianna (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marianna.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 2, 2025, by James L.Whitman of Eufaula, Alabama. This page has been viewed 171 times since then and 97 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 2, 2025, by James L.Whitman of Eufaula, Alabama. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
