During the late 1860s, several private black schools opened in Athens, Georgia, and by 1915 six schools existed. The Knox Institute and Industrial School was the first and the most famous of these. The American Missionary Association and the Freedman’s Bureau assisted black Athenians in opening the Knox Institute in 1868. It was named for Major John Knox, an agent of the Freedman’s Bureau. Historians believe that southern whites did not support schools such as the Knox Institute due to their connection with the Freedman’s Bureau and the American Missionary Association. They feared that the bureau was sending teachers who taught students to abhor and distrust whites. The first teachers at the Knox Institute were white northerners, but white members of the community did not like them. Many members of the community feared that education would make African Americans dangerous political adversaries.
The dislike and distrust of white Athenians occasionally became physically violent. In 1867, a few white members of the community entered the school and forcefully removed students and teachers and did not allow them to return until the next day. In 1868, an African American mother was hit with a rock because she sent her children to school.
African Americans continued to attend the Knox Institute despite the violence because of the advantage given to them by learning to read and write. The Athens black community, assisted by the Georgia Educational Association, took control of the Knox Institute and hired trained black teachers to teach at the school by the mid-1870s.
The original building, most likely bought by the Freedman’s Bureau, had two stories and four rooms. The school expanded significantly and quickly over the next sixty years. The original building became a dormitory for girls, and a building for classrooms, donated by Andrew Carnegie, and a boys’ dormitory were later added.
The curriculum of the Knox Institute focused on grammar and intermediate education, but also offered subjects such as government, physics, arithmetic, geometry, geography and study of the classics. Additional educational offerings at the Knox Institute included practical skills such as carpentry, typing, and sewing as well as several sports. Records from the school suggest that the Knox Institute taught a great number of highly advanced readers. The school also had a religious element. Teachers at the Knox Institute made efforts to lead students morally as well as teach the content of the Bible. When school was not is session, religious ceremonies were held in the school’s facilities.
By 1913, the Knox Institute taught twelve grades and students came from five different states. The Knox Institute was the first black school accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the University of Georgia. Even when public schools for African Americans opened in 1886, many parents continued to send their children to the Knox Institute as a symbol of respectability.
Due to financial difficulties related to the Great Depression, the Knox Institute closed its doors in 1928.
The dislike and distrust of white Athenians occasionally became physically violent. In 1867, a few white members of the community entered the school and forcefully removed students and teachers and did not allow them to return until the next day. In 1868, an African American mother was hit with a rock because she sent her children to school.
African Americans continued to attend the Knox Institute despite the violence because of the advantage given to them by learning to read and write. The Athens black community, assisted by the Georgia Educational Association, took control of the Knox Institute and hired trained black teachers to teach at the school by the mid-1870s.
The original building, most likely bought by the Freedman’s Bureau, had two stories and four rooms. The school expanded significantly and quickly over the next sixty years. The original building became a dormitory for girls, and a building for classrooms, donated by Andrew Carnegie, and a boys’ dormitory were later added.
The curriculum of the Knox Institute focused on grammar and intermediate education, but also offered subjects such as government, physics, arithmetic, geometry, geography and study of the classics. Additional educational offerings at the Knox Institute included practical skills such as carpentry, typing, and sewing as well as several sports. Records from the school suggest that the Knox Institute taught a great number of highly advanced readers. The school also had a religious element. Teachers at the Knox Institute made efforts to lead students morally as well as teach the content of the Bible. When school was not is session, religious ceremonies were held in the school’s facilities.
By 1913, the Knox Institute taught twelve grades and students came from five different states. The Knox Institute was the first black school accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the University of Georgia. Even when public schools for African Americans opened in 1886, many parents continued to send their children to the Knox Institute as a symbol of respectability.
Due to financial difficulties related to the Great Depression, the Knox Institute closed its doors in 1928.