Alabama State University, as it exists today, has come a long way. It is a far cry from the fledgling efforts of the nine black men whose vision and determination opened a new school for black children in 1867.
About ASU's Founding Fathers
About ASU's Founding Fathers
The Lincoln School was founded in Perry County in 1867 by formerly enslaved African Americans and was one of the first institutions established for the education of African Americans after the Civil War. The school was soon designated a state teaching institution and eventually was moved to Alabama’s capital city, Montgomery, where it became Alabama State University in 1969.
The freedmen who opened this school realized that the advancement of recently freed slaves and their families depended largely upon their ability to pursue a basic formal education. Although they were not educators, they were men of advanced skills whose daily occupations led them to understand the great genefit an education could bring.
Alexander H. Curtis was the most influential member of the group which was later called the Marion Nine. He led the push to reorganize Lincoln School into a state institution. The complete list of freedmen who worked together to open the school that would later become Alabama State University includes:
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915 South Jackson Street • Montgomery, Alabama 36101 • (334) 604-9164
