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Tuskegee University is a historically black university founded in 1881 by Booker T. Washington. It’s located in Tuskegee, Alabama. The school became a National Historic Site as well as a National Historic Landmark in 1965 for its significance in American history, its role in higher education for African-Americans, and the quality of its academic programs.
Visiting Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site
Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site is open daily except Sundays from 9am to 4:30pm. There’s no fee to visit and visitor parking is available in a parking lot next to The Oaks.
Only two buildings are run by the National Park Service and open to visitors, but everyone is free to walk around the campus and admire the historic buildings. It’s good to combine your visit with the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site just a short drive away.
George Washington Carver Museum
The first building you can visit is the George Washington Carver Museum, which is also the visitor center. Built in 1915, the building was originally the university’s laundry and later served as George Washington Carver’s laboratory. The university’s trustees authorized the museum in 1938 to display the life’s work of Carver, one of the most important scientists of the 20th century. Henry Ford, an admirer of Carver, was instrumental in the museum’s development. It finally opened in 1941.
The museum contains excellent exhibits on the life and experiments of Carver. Many of his inventions and innovations using peanuts are on display. There’s also information about Booker T. Washington, introductory films, and a gift shop.
The Oaks
The other building open to the public is The Oaks, which was the home of Booker T. Washington from 1900 until his death in 1915. Tours of The Oaks are available, but it was unfortunately closed for renovation during our visit.
Margaret Murray Washington Hall
After visiting the George Washington Carver Museum, we had a short time to walk around campus and see a few of the historic buildings. First was Margaret Murray Washington Hall, just inside the Lincoln Gates. It was built in 1897 and is named for Washington’s third wife. The building now houses the university’s welcome center and admissions department, but was originally the school’s agricultural department.
Dorothy Hall
Next, we saw Dorothy Hall, where female students learned about dietetics, sewing, childcare, and nursing. It was built in 1901. Carver lived there from 1938 until his death in 1943. Today, it serves as the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, where students learn about food preparation and hotel management. The photo below is of the south side of the building.
Across from Dorothy Hall is a statue of Booker T. Washington sculpted by Charles Keck. It was dedicated in 1922.
Tuskegee Chapel
Further along is the Tuskegee Chapel, built in 1969. The original chapel was built between 1896 and 1898 with 1,200,000 bricks made and laid by Tuskegee students. It burned down in 1957 after being struck by lightning.
Tuskegee Cemetery
Next to the chapel is the Tuskegee Cemetery, where both Washington and Carver are buried. Prominent members of faculty and staff also rest there, as well as members of Washington’s family. The university president determines who can be buried in the cemetery, which was established in 1898.
Carnegie Hall
From there, we walked back past the museum and down University Avenue until we came to Carnegie Hall. The building was funded by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie thanks to a US$20,000 grant on December 20, 1900. It was built in 1901 and served as the school’s library until 1932, when the music department moved in. Carnegie donated 2,509 libraries worldwide between 1883 and 1919.
Historic Quadrangle
Carnegie Hall faces the historic quadrangle, which contains some buildings designed by Robert R. Taylor, the school architect. This area is the center of student life on campus.
Moving clockwise, the first building to the left is White Hall. It was built in 1910 and the clock tower was added in 1913. It was used as the main female dormitory and is named for Alexander Moss White.
Next is Douglass Hall, named for Frederick Douglass. The original building was built in 1904 but burned down in 1934. It was used as a female dormitory.
At the end of the quadrangle is Huntington Hall, named for Collis Huntington. Built in 1899, it was originally used as a female dormitory, but it was later used as a staff residence and had classrooms.
Finally, Tompkins Hall was used as the main dining hall on campus. It was completed in 1910 and was later converted into the Student Union.
Old Administration Building
Back on University Avenue is the Old Administration Building. Completed in 1895, it served as the main office building until the 1970s. A post office and bank also operated inside.
Demolished Buildings
Across the street is a parking lot that was once the site of two buildings that no longer exist. The first building was Porter Hall, completed in 1883 and named for Alfred H. Porter. It was the very first building to be built at Tuskegee. It house offices, a library, chapel, kitchen, dining rooms, living quarters, and a laundry.
Porter Hall was demolished in 1903 to make way for the Huntington Academic Building, which was completed in 1905. It housed high school classrooms, a girls gym, office space, and a college bookstore. In 1991, the building was destroyed by an electrical fire.
Rockefeller Hall
Behind the parking lot it’s easy to spot Rockefeller Hall, named for John D. Rockefeller. It was built in 1903 as a male dormitory and was George Washington Carver’s home until he moved to Dorothy Hall in 1938. The building also housed a library and museum.
Thrasher Hall
The final building we visited was Thrasher Hall. It was built between 1893 and 1895 with bricks made by teachers and students, and only the original exterior walls remain. Originally named the Science Building, it housed science classrooms and laboratories. Booker T. Washington renamed it Thrasher Hall in 1903 to honor Max Bennett Thrasher. Thrasher helped Washington edit and publish his autobiography, Up From Slavery. The book is required reading for all Tuskegee University students.
The original bell from Thrasher Hall’s bell tower sits outside the front of the building. It rang for class changes until 1983.
Conclusion
Overall, it was a nice experience visiting the beautiful historic campus at Tuskegee University. We also enjoyed the George Washington Carver Museum and were amazed at all he accomplished during his life.
There are eight buildings we didn’t have a chance to visit because we were running short on time. We hope to see them another time as well as get a chance to tour The Oaks. On the map below, I’ve labeled all the buildings we visited as well as the ones we didn’t.
