Tuskegee Institute

Who are the Legends of Tuskegee and what do they have in common? Booker Taliafero Washington, George Washington Carver and the Tuskegee Airmen all came to Tuskegee and created their own legends. Tuskegee is more than a town located in Macon County, Alabama. It is an idea and an ideal. It was a bold experiment and a site of major African-American achievements for over 100 years. Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) It was at Tuskegee, in the heart of the American South, that Washington founded the "Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers." He built the school (later known as Tuskegee Institute) into a major center for African-American education. He brought the best and brightest African Americans to work with him to fulfill his mission of educating African Americans for self-sufficiency. Washington and Tuskegee Institute became a major political force in America. George Washington Carver (circa 1864-1943) Hired in 1896 by Booker T. Washington to teach agriculture at Tuskegee, Carver spent over 40 years on the Tuskegee campus. An inspired teacher, Carver taught many generations of Tuskegee students. He was committed to increasing African-American farmers' economic independence. Tuskegee Institute became synonymous with Carver and his innovative research on Southern crops and farming methods. Tuskegee Airmen (1941-1946) The school at Tuskegee founded by Booker T. Washington had a well-respected aeronautical engineering program. Because of the Institute's flight program, the U.S. military selected Tuskegee Institute as a place to train African-American pilots for the war effort. Aviators came to Tuskegee, Alabama, to hone their flying skills. Their rigorous training at Moton Field and Tuskegee Army Air Field molded over 1,000 pilots into one of the most highly respected U.S. fighter groups of World War II. This three-part web exhibit highlights the achievements of Washington, Carver and the Tuskegee Airmen. It features collections at Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site and Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site located in Tuskegee, Alabama, and selected items from the Booker T. Washington National Monument in Hardy, Virginia, and George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri. The exhibit also features collections from the Library of Congress, National Digital Library; National Archives and Records Administration; and the Department of Defense. You can view two 360 degree panoramic views of Washington's study and parlor at The Oaks, Tuskegee, Alabama, using Quicktime VR. The plug-in is available for FREE download from http://www.nps.gov/hfc/plugins. Visit contributing parks: Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site Booker T. Washington National Monument George Washington Carver National Monument Visit other NPS sites of interest: NPS Diversity Underground Railroad African-American Parks

Since the beginning of America’s existence, education has always been considered as one of the keys to social, political and economical acceptance for African Americans. Tuskegee Normal School was established by the state of Alabama, influenced by a former slave and a former slave owner to educate newly freed people and their children. The Normal school, later Institute, became a beacon of hope for African Americans to reach their goal of acceptance. The school officially opened on July 4, 1881 in the African American Methodist Episcopal Zion Church under the auspices of religion. This date was chosen to commemorate the independence of a Nation and the freedom of a forgotten people. Booker T. Washington became the first principal of a newly formed school at the age of twenty-six. He later hired individuals like George W. Carver and Robert Taylor to help lead the institute to its world-renowned status.

Today, the legacy of Washington, Carver and many others has been preserved in the Historic Campus District of Tuskegee University where original buildings constructed by the students, from bricks made in the Institute brickyard still stand.

The Site, located on the campus of present day Tuskegee University, became a part of the National Park System in 1974.