Lincoln Normal School

Lincoln Normal School. Perry County. , Lincoln Normal School was established in Marion, Alabama, on July 18, 1867, for the education of African American children. Nine formerly enslaved men incorporated the school: James Childs, Alexander Curtis, Nicholas Dale, John Freeman, David Harris, Thomas Lee, Nathan Levert, Ivey Parrish, and Thomas Speed. Local Black people, the American Missionary Association, and the Freedmen's Bureau provided assistance for the school. One of the main academic buildings for much of the school's history, Livingston Hall, was constructed in 1902. The school closed in 1970 and Livingston Hall, along with several other buildings on campus, was demolished in 1972. Livingston Hall was a two-story building constructed in a classical architectural style and was the first brick building on campus. Livingston Hall housed the principal's office, library, cafeteria, home economic department, and several classrooms., (Reverse Side) , Lincoln Normal School functioned 103 years as an educational institution and a community cultural center. The school held significance in the areas of education, black heritage, architecture, and social and civil rights history. During the years it was open, over 2,000 students graduated from Lincoln Normal School. Students' participation in the Modern Civil Rights Movement helped lead to the Historic Selma -to- Montgomery March, passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, establishment of the Selma-to-Montgomery Historic Trail, perpetuation of justice, equality, and voting rights, and ultimately, the demise of Lincoln School due to desegregation. Today three buildings remain on the campus's 10.687 acres of land: the Phillips Memorial Auditorium, constructed in 1938-1939, Lincoln Gymnasium, constructed in 1963, and a Classroom Addition Building, constructed in 1968. Since 1996, the Lincolnite Club, Inc. has owned and maintained the entire campus with the commitment to preserve, revitalize, and perpetuate the legacy of Lincoln Normal School. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 29, 2022 .