Centennial Hill in Montgomery in Montgomery County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Centennial Hill
Photographed By Mark Hilton, May 15, 2021
1. Centennial Hill Marker
Marker repainted a few years ago.
Inscription.
Centennial Hill. . This neighborhood evolved around historic First Congregational Church established through the American Missionary Association (AMA) October 6, 1872, by Pastor George Whitfield Andrews. In 1867 the AMA and the Freedmen's Bureau, headed by General Wager Swayne, opened Swayne Primary School, Montgomery's first school for blacks, just two blocks south of here. Alabama State University, begun in 1867 as the "Lincoln School of Marion" by nine ex-slaves and taken over by the AMA in 1868, was relocated nearby in 1887. The area gained prominence as the civic, religious, educational, business and residential center for such black notables as Dr. Cornelius Dorsette, the city's first black physician; businessman Victor Tulane; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and other well-known leaders such as Alabama's first black congressman, James W. Rapier; John W. Jones; Nathan Alexander; Peyton Finley; and reverend G. Franklin Lewis, long-time pastor of First Congregational Church.
This neighborhood evolved around historic First Congregational Church established through the American Missionary Association (AMA) October 6, 1872, by Pastor George Whitfield Andrews. In 1867 the AMA and the Freedmen's Bureau, headed by General Wager Swayne, opened Swayne Primary School, Montgomery's first school for blacks, just two blocks south of here. Alabama State University, begun in 1867 as the "Lincoln School of Marion" by nine ex-slaves and taken over by the AMA in 1868, was relocated nearby in 1887. The area gained prominence as the civic, religious, educational, business and residential center for such black notables as Dr. Cornelius Dorsette, the city's first black physician; businessman Victor Tulane; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and other well-known leaders such as Alabama's first black congressman, James W. Rapier; John W. Jones; Nathan Alexander; Peyton Finley; and reverend G. Franklin Lewis, long-time pastor of First Congregational Church.
Location. 32° 22.317′ N, 86° 17.973′ W. Marker is in Montgomery, Alabama, in Montgomery County. It is in Centennial Hill. Marker is at the intersection of South Union Street and High Street, on the left when traveling north on South Union Street. Union Street is a multi-lane one-way street that runs north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 638 South Union Street, Montgomery AL 36104, United States of America. Touch for directions.
3. View of marker looking at intersection of Union and High Streets.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, May 15, 2021
4. Church signage
Credits. This page was last revised on February 9, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 12, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,281 times since then and 161 times this year. Last updated on July 24, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. Photos:1, 2. submitted on May 15, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 3. submitted on October 9, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 4. submitted on May 15, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.