Last updated: November 12, 2024
Article
The Lowndesboro School Museum and Regional Technology Center (Lowndesboro County, Alabama)
African American Civil Rights Network
The Lowndesboro School Museum and Regional Technology Center in Lowndes County, Alabama is housed in the former Lowndesboro School, a Reconstruction era school for African Americans.
After the Civil War, in 1867 Mansfield Tyler established Lowndesboro School in rural Lowndes County, Alabama. Born enslaved, Tyler would go on to serve in the Alabama House of Representatives, help create Selma University (in Selma, Alabama), chair the University’s Board of Trustees, establish churches, and lead several organizations in Alabama.
After the school's establishment, with assistance from the Freedman’s Bureau, buildings were constructed that housed the school and a Baptist church for newly-freed men, women, and children in the area. In 1880, a new church was built from which the school operated. Three years later, Tyler and his wife transferred property to the Lowndesboro Colored Education Association which then built a building for the Lowndesboro School on the site. Despite meager resources, no electricity, running water, indoor restrooms, or other amenities, the school operated from the building for the next 84 years where it served only African American children. The school assumed several uses after it closed in 1967, including as a local health center.
Today Lowndesboro School is one of the oldest Reconstruction era schoolhouses in the United States that is still standing.
The Lowdnesboro School Museum and Regional Technology Center became a part of the African American Civil Rights Network in 2024.
The African American Civil Rights Network recognizes the African American Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the sacrifices made by those who fought against discrimination and segregation. Created by the African American Civil Rights Act of 2017, and coordinated by the National Park Service, the Network tells the stories of the people, places, and events of the U.S. African American Civil Rights Movement through a collection of public and private resources to include properties, facilities, and programs.
The Lowndesboro School Museum and Regional Technology Center in Lowndes County, Alabama is housed in the former Lowndesboro School, a Reconstruction era school for African Americans.
After the Civil War, in 1867 Mansfield Tyler established Lowndesboro School in rural Lowndes County, Alabama. Born enslaved, Tyler would go on to serve in the Alabama House of Representatives, help create Selma University (in Selma, Alabama), chair the University’s Board of Trustees, establish churches, and lead several organizations in Alabama.
After the school's establishment, with assistance from the Freedman’s Bureau, buildings were constructed that housed the school and a Baptist church for newly-freed men, women, and children in the area. In 1880, a new church was built from which the school operated. Three years later, Tyler and his wife transferred property to the Lowndesboro Colored Education Association which then built a building for the Lowndesboro School on the site. Despite meager resources, no electricity, running water, indoor restrooms, or other amenities, the school operated from the building for the next 84 years where it served only African American children. The school assumed several uses after it closed in 1967, including as a local health center.
Today Lowndesboro School is one of the oldest Reconstruction era schoolhouses in the United States that is still standing.
The Lowdnesboro School Museum and Regional Technology Center became a part of the African American Civil Rights Network in 2024.
The African American Civil Rights Network recognizes the African American Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the sacrifices made by those who fought against discrimination and segregation. Created by the African American Civil Rights Act of 2017, and coordinated by the National Park Service, the Network tells the stories of the people, places, and events of the U.S. African American Civil Rights Movement through a collection of public and private resources to include properties, facilities, and programs.