*On this date in 1883, we celebrate the opening of the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute, a school created during the Reconstruction era in America.
Also known as Haines Institute, it was a school for Blacks in Augusta, Georgia. It was established by Lucy Craft Laney and named in honor of a benefactor who funded its expansion. Laney opened the school with a few students and served as its principal. Chartered in 1886, it was expanded with a kindergarten and junior college (Lamar School of Nursing).
The school also served as a community center. Sewing, laundry, and printing were taught in buildings on the campus. An entry on the school appeared in James T. Haley's Afro-American Encyclopedia. Photographs of the school were gathered by W.E.B. Du Bois and Thomas J. Calloway for the American Negro Exhibit at the Paris Exposition of 1900.
By 1928, it had more than 800 students, and negotiations were engaged to have Du Boos speak at the school. The Presbyterian Board of National Missions supported it. A.C. Griggs served as president of the school. A historical marker was added to the school site in 2009. It eventually became Lucy Craft Laney High School.
