Augusta in Richmond County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Ware High School

Civil Rights Milestone

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, April 10, 2025

1. Ware High School Marker

Inscription. Near this site stood Ware High School, which was the first public high school for African-Americans in Georgia and one of only five in the south while it was in operation. Founded in 1880, it was named for Edmund Asa Ware, Freedman`s Bureau Officer and President of Atlanta University. The school closed in 1897. African-American leaders brought federal suit in Cumming v. Board of Education of Richmond County, claiming if the black high school closed, the white high school must also close. The case was based upon the 14th Amendment guarantee of equal protection under the law. The Board of Education argued that it could educate more African-American children on the primary level with the funds available. The case went to the Supreme Court of the United States, which had held the principle of segregation through the Plessy v. Ferguson "separate but equal" ruling in 1896. The Court allowed the Ware High School closing to stand, thus permitting segregation in education. In a series of cases starting in 1913, and ending in 1954, with Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, "separate but equal", was displaced and school segregation held invalid under the 14th Amendment.

Erected 1998 by Georgia Historical Commission. (Marker Number 148-7.)

Topics and series. This historical

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Historical Society, and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.

Location. 33° 28.733′ N, 81° 58.243′ W. Marker is in Augusta, Georgia, in Richmond County. It is on Reynolds Street near 11th Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Augusta GA 30901, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

the Western Hemisphere,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fort Grierson (within shouting distance of this marker); Springfield Baptist Church Birthplace of Morehouse College (within shouting distance of this marker); Transition (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Historical Timeline of Augusta (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named A Historical Timeline of Augusta (about 500 feet away); We've Come This Far by Faith: (about 500 feet away); a different marker

Photographed by Mike Stroud, October 24, 2010

2. Ware High School Marker

also named A Historical Timeline of Augusta (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named A Historical Timeline of Augusta (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Augusta.

Regarding Ware High School. Note: This marker was mistakingly given a Ware County number. The correct number would be a 121 prefix.

Also see . . .
1. Cumming v. Richmond County Board of Education,Wikipedia entry. Supreme Court of the United States : Argued October 30, 1899, Decided December 18, 1899 It is a landmark case, in that it sanctioned de jure segregation of races in American schools. The Supreme Court overturned its decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954). (Submitted on October 20, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)

2. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Wikipedia entry. Supreme Court of the United States Argued December 9, 1952, Reargued December 8, 1953 Decided May 17, 1954 de jure racial segregation was ruled a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. This ruling paved the way for integration and the civil rights movement. (De jure [in Classical Latin de iure] is an expression that means "concerning law") (Submitted on October 20, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)

Photographed by Mike Stroud, October 24, 2010

3. Ware High School Marker

3. Georgia Historical Society. Excerpt:

This week’s #MarkerMonday highlights Ware High School, and interpretations of an 1872 Georgia public school law and the Fourteenth Amendment. In 1880, at the request of African-American Augustans and the recommendation of the outgoing superintendent, Ware High School became the first public high school for African Americans in Georgia. By 1893, the Board of Education resolved to close the school due to insufficient attendance. However, the African-American community rallied to increase enrollment and Ware High School re-opened with a record 50 students. The impact of Ware High School was felt far beyond Augusta, as many graduates went on to fill vital teacher positions in primary schools for African Americans throughout Georgia.

(Submitted on May 24, 2025, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan.)

Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 5, 2010

4. Ware High School Marker

Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 5, 2010

5. Ware High School Marker

Ware High School Marker,(at right) looking west along Reynolds Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 5, 2010

6. Ware High School Marker,(at right) looking west along Reynolds Street

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, April 10, 2025

7. Ware High School Marker

The marker is in the same location but a parking structure now abuts it.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 20, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 3,201 times since then and 75 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on May 24, 2025, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. 2. submitted on October 20, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 3. submitted on October 24, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 4, 5, 6. submitted on October 20, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 7. submitted on May 24, 2025, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan.