Thomaston in Marengo County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Thomaston Colored Institute
Marengo County
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, July 15, 2026
1. Thomaston Colored Institute Marker
In 1910, a committee of elders of the West Alabama Primitive Baptist Association bought two acres of land in an established African American neighborhood to open the Thomaston Colored Institute/Thomaston Academy. Incorporated in 1909, a coalition of African American church groups served as appointees to the Board of Trustees. The six Trustees were C.H. Davis, Robert Fritts, and Preston Jones of Thomaston; C.C. Kennedy and I.E. Eldridge of Prentice; and K. W. Walker of McKinley. The private, church-based school operated until 1951, at which time the county leased it for use as a public school until 1981. Oral history gathered from former Academy students Mrs. Julia Nathan Saunders and Mr. George Shields, indicates that students took reading, writing, and arithmetic classes with added emphasis on modern agricultural and domestic practices. The school's substantial physical presence represents a symbol of progress in a rural community. It survives as one of the few African American enterprises in the area, and played a significant role in the lives of several generations of local and regional African American
this page online
Erected by Cecil Stanford Harrell and Alabama Historical Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.
Location. 32° 16.346′ N, 87° 37.817′ W. Marker is in Thomaston, Alabama, in Marengo County. It is on 7th Avenue west of Dormitory Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1134 7th Ave, Thomaston AL 36783, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Black Belt. 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 New Spain, 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 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Thomaston Baptist Church
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, July 15, 2026
2. Thomaston Colored Institute & Marker
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, July 15, 2026
3. Thomaston Colored Institute Marker
The school is near total collapse.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 18, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 17, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 17, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
