To commemorate the listing of Lincoln Normal School on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior on November 29, 2022, the Black Belt Community Foundation on June 1, 2024 awarded the Lincolnite Club, Inc. a 2024 Arts Grant of $4,000 that required a $1,000 Lincolnite Club, Inc. Matching. The overall purpose of the Lincoln Normal School National Register Listing Project is to create and showcase a historic wall mural to highlight the historic path of the Chronology of Lincoln Normal School National Register Listing. The wallmural Chronology will give the community and tourists a fundamental documented account of Lincoln Normal School historic development and significance in Marion, Alabama of Perry County and in Alabama and United States history.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the nation’s cultural resources worthy of preservation, Authorized under the National Historical Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate and protect our historic and archaeological resources.
Acquisition of Lincoln Normal School National Register of Historic Places Listing was a beneficial milestone for the Lincolnite Club, Inc. in its mission-efforts to preserve, revitalize, and perpetuate the legacy of Lincoln School. The Listing will enhance our eligibility and participation opportunities to collaborate and capitalize in pursuing additional federally funded preservation grants and projects for the implementation of Lincolnite initiatives to provide awareness and strategic plans of action for maintaining and maximizing the preservation, maintenance, accessibility, use and safety of the entire Site. It will promote community pride to serve as an incentive to increase tourism in the community. The achievement will serve as a motivational challenge for increasing active Lincolnite Club membership, support, participation, and service in promotion of the mission. The Listing will further establish the historic significance of Lincoln Normal School in the areas of education, social and civil rights history, black cultural heritage, and architecture.
The history of Lincoln School started in 1867 with the incorporation of Lincoln School by nine freed slaves and the local community for the education of Black children. After functioning 103 years, it closed in 1970 due to desegregation. The legacy of the school is being kept alive by the Lincolnite Club, Inc. which includes graduates, their descendants, the Perry County community, and supporters.
Today, the contributing components of the Site include 1) Phillips Memorial Auditorium; 2) Lincoln High School Gymnasium which is now undergoing rehabilitation as a multipurpose community center; 3) Classroom Addition Building which includes Lincoln Memorial Museum, Lincolnite Business Office, and Marion Nutrition Site; and 4) the 10.687 acres of land on which the Site is located. The Lincolnite Club, Inc. owns the property of the entire Site.
The project will provide artistic learning experiences and exposure for participants and will give them opportunities to further develop their skills in the areas of graphic designing, photography, writing, painting, sanitation cleaning, and the exhibition of the productions of Arts. In addition, the project will enable the Lincolnite Club, Inc. to increase collaboration with community partners.
Our challenge is to keep the history and legacy of Lincoln Normal School alive for now and future generations. We are most appreciative of the Black Belt Community Foundation Grant and others in supporting the Lincolnite Club, Inc. mission and in the perpetuation of arts in the Black Belt. Celebration activities and additional related projects, including the installation of a historic marker on the Campus and a Lincolnite Club, Inc. Assembly Program will be announced later. Additional information is available upon request. (334-683-9811 / wilmaeverette@aol.com )
