Talladega College Campus in Talladega County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Talladega College Historic District

Talladega County

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, March 11, 2026

1. Talladega College Historic District Marker

Inscription.
Talladega College's history began on November 20, 1865, when William Savery and Thomas Tarrant, former slaves from Talladega met at the freedmen's convention in Mobile, Alabama. Convention attendees vowed: We regard the education of our children and youths as vital to the preservation of our liberties, and true religion as the foundation of all virtue, and shall use our utmost endeavors to promote these blessing in our common country." Savery and Tarrant, aided by General Wager Swayne of the Freedmen's Bureau, pledged to provide a school for former slaves' children. Lumber salvaged from an abandoned carpenter's shop resulted in the construction of a one-room schoolhouse. The school soon became overcrowded with pupils. The American Missionary Association Purchased a new building and 20 acres of land for $23.000. It opened as the Swayne School in 1867 with about 140 pupils. The school was chartered Talladega College in 1869. Talladega's main campus includes 41 buildings on 50 acres of land.

Listed to the National Register of Historic Places on August 23, 1990. Marker erected in 2017 by Talladega College
150 years of Excellence Sesquicentennial Celebration
Dr. Billy C. Hawkins, President

Erected 2017.

Topics. This historical marker is listed

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in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Education. A significant historical date for this entry is August 23, 1990.

Location. 33° 25.959′ N, 86° 6.802′ W. Marker is in Talladega, Alabama, in Talladega County. It is in Talladega College Campus. It is on Battle Street West east of Martin Luther King Drive, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 627 Battle St W, Talladega AL 35160, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Alabama. It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Community House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Battle Of Talladega (approx. 0.6 miles away); USS Talladega (APA-208) (approx. 0.6 miles away); Talladega Courthouse Square Historic District (approx. 0.6 miles away); Auburn University And Birmingham-Southern College Began In Talladega, 1854 (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Joiner Family (approx. one mile away); Presbyterian Home For Children (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Talladega.

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, March 11, 2026

2. Talladega College Historic District Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on March 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 11, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 14 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 11, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.