The Snow Hill Normal and Industrial Institute, also known as the Colored Industrial and Literary Institute of Snow Hill, was a historic

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

school in Snow Hill,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. It was founded in 1893 by Dr. William James Edwards, a graduate of

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was d ...

, and began in a one-room log cabin. The school grew over time to include a campus of 27 buildings, a staff of 35, and over 400 students. The school was operated as a private school for African-American children until Dr. Edward's retirement in 1924, when it became a public school operated by the State of Alabama. The school closed in 1973, after the

desegregation Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races. Desegregation is typically measured by the index of dissimilarity, allowing researchers to determine whether desegregation efforts are having impact o ...

of the Wilcox County school system. Out of the original 27 buildings, only eight survive today. They range in architectural style from Queen Anne to Craftsman and include the founder's home, five teachers' cottages, and the library. The National Snow Hill Alumni Association and the local Snow Hill Institute supporters determined to save the remaining structures in 1980. In June 1980, Dr. Edwards' granddaughter and Snow Hill alumna

Consuela Lee Moorehead Consuela Lee Moorehead (November 1, 1927 – December 26, 2009) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, music theory professor, and the founder of the Springtree/Snow Hill Institute for the Performing Arts. She fought to establish an art ...

reopened the school as the Springtree/Snow Hill Institute for the Performing Arts and ran after-school and summer programs for local students. The art institute continued to run until 2003 when Moorehead's declining health caused her to close down the school. The school was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on February 24, 1995.

William James Edwards

The school's founder, William James Edwards (born 1869) is buried by the school. He authored ''Twenty-Five Years in the Black Belt'' about his experiences. In the book, Edwards identifies as alumni of the school: * Emmanuel McDuffie, founder and principal of Lauringburg Normal and Industrial Institute in

Laurinburg, North Carolina Laurinburg is a city in and the county seat of Scotland County, North Carolina, United States. Located in southern North Carolina near the South Carolina border, Laurinburg is southwest of Fayetteville and is home to St. Andrews University. ...

* Rev. Emmanuel M. Brown, a faculty member at

Street Manual Training School The Street Manual Training School was a historic African American school in Richmond, Dallas County, Alabama. The campus comprised over , but most of it was sold after the school closed in 1971. The remaining campus contains seven buildings cons ...

Richmond, Alabama Richmond, also known as Warrenton, is an unincorporated community in Dallas County, Alabama, United States. Richmond gained its name from Richmond County, New York, the birthplace for several early settlers, most notably the Crocherons. Richmond ...

*John W. Brister who established a prize at Snow Hill Institute * Waverley Turner Carmichael the "Poet of Snow Hill".

References

External links

Historical Marker Database
National Register of Historic Places in Wilcox County, Alabama School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama Historic districts in Wilcox County, Alabama Defunct schools in Alabama African-American history of Alabama Queen Anne architecture in Alabama American Craftsman architecture in Alabama Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage Historically segregated African-American schools in Alabama Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama 1893 establishments in Alabama {{Alabama-NRHP-stub