Tuskegee in Macon County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Brief History of Tuskegee, Alabama
Photographed by Mark Hilton, November 16, 2016
1. Brief History of Tuskegee, Alabama Marker (Front)
Inscription.
Tuskegee consists of 80 square miles and is the county seat of Macon County, Alabama. Tuskegee rests in the heart of the rural Alabama Black Belt and is 40 miles east of Montgomery. Tuskegee was founded by General Thomas S. Woodward in 1833 after he was appointed to form a seat of government in Macon County. Tuskegee was later incorporated in 1843 and continues to be a site of major African-American achievements for more than a century. The city of Tuskegee played a vital role in the Civil Rights Movement and is the birthplace of Rosa Louise Parks (1913). Tuskegee is also the home of the first African-American fighter squadron known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Voting rights and equal education for African-Americans was guaranteed through famous civil rights court cases such as Gomillion v. Lightfoot (1958) and Lee v. Macon County (1963) both taking place in Tuskegee. Tuskegee is also the location where Samuel Younge, Jr., the first African-American college student killed as a result of his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement.
Many educational institutions originated from Tuskegee. The Baptist College for Women was founded
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in 1848; the Tuskegee Female College (later known as Huntingdon College of Montgomery, AL) in 1856; and Park High School (later known as Tuskegee Military Institute for Boys) were among the early schools that flourished before public schools were established in 1898. The most famous of these educational institutions is the Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers founded by Lewis Adams and George Campbell in 1881. Booker T. Washington became the first principal and remained the schools’ first President until his death in 1915. Tuskegee Institute was home to inventor and teacher, George Washington Carver, whose name is synonymous with innovative research into Southern farming methods and crops. Today, Tuskegee University remains a center for African-American education. Tuskegee Institute became a part of the National Park Service in 1974 as is the only U.S. college designated as a National Historic Landmark.
Erected 2010 by the Alabama Tourism Department and the City of Tuskegee.
Location. 32° 25.45′ N, 85° 41.479′ W. Marker is in Tuskegee, Alabama, in Macon County. It is at the intersection of Westside Street and West Northside Street, on the right when traveling south on Westside Street. Located as part of the Main Street Historic District. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 125 Westside Street, Tuskegee AL 36083, 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 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: 119 Westside Street (within shouting distance
Photographed by Mark Hilton, November 16, 2016
3. View of marker towards Macon County Courthouse.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 16, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 2,634 times since then and 194 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 16, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 5. submitted on July 30, 2025, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas.
