Wetumpka in Elmore County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Elmore County Training School

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 2, 2013

1. Elmore County Training School Marker

Inscription. Constructed in 1924 on five acres, this building was one of nine schools constructed in Elmore County with funding assistance from the Julius Rosenwald Fund. Between 1912-32, Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish philanthropist and CEO of Sears, Roebuck and Company teamed up with Booker T. Washington and Tuskegee Institute to provide matching grants for the construction of school buildings for African Americans in mostly rural areas of the South. This collaborative effort produced more than 5,000 of these buildings in 15 southern states, 389 of which were constructed in Alabama. In addition to the Rosenwald funding of $1,300, the community, both black and white contributed $5,400 toward the construction of this school. The school grew to six buildings on an eight-acre site before being closed due to integration in 1963. In 1987, the original 1924 building was restored for use as the Elmore County Black History Museum. This building, along with others on the site, was placed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 2001.

Erected by Alabama Historical Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed

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in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Commission, and the Rosenwald Schools series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1924.

Location. 32° 33.066′ N, 86° 12.648′ W. Marker is in Wetumpka, Alabama, in Elmore County. It is on Lancaster Street 0.1 miles north of Holtville Road (Alabama Route 111), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 202 Lancaster Street, Wetumpka AL 36092, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Tri-Counties River Region.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

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 walking distance of this marker: World War II Memorial (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct

Former Elmore County Training School (Now Black History Museum) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 2, 2013

2. Former Elmore County Training School (Now Black History Museum)

line); Welton Blanton Doby High School (approx. 0.4 miles away); Wetumpka Impact Crater (approx. 0.4 miles away); Wetumpka L&N Depot (approx. 0.7 miles away); Wetumpka Methodist Church (approx. ¾ mile away); The Wetumpka Light Guard (approx. ¾ mile away); Lock 31 (approx. 0.9 miles away); a different marker also named Wetumpka Impact Crater (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wetumpka.

Other markers no longer nearby. First Presbyterian Church (was approx. 0.8 miles away but has been confirmed missing); First Baptist Church of Wetumpka (was approx. 0.8 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on December 2, 2013, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 2,396 times since then and 116 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 2, 2013, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.