Normal School State Historical Marker

Located at entrance to U.S. Navy School Supply Corps School on Prince Ave, one block west of Oglethorpe Avenue, Athens, Ga.

(Text)

FORMER SITE OF GEORGIA

STATE NORMAL SCHOOL

 

In February 1860 the University of Georgia purchased 93 acres

surrounding this site and later sold all but 30 acres to finance the construction of Rock College, a preparatory school for the

University of Georgia. Between 1862 and 1891 the school served the

educational needs of Georgia in a variety of roles. In 1891 the Georgia

General Assembly established the State Normal School on this site

to train Georgians to be rural teachers. The nearby commercial area

soon adopted the name "Normal Town." The oldest remaining academic building on campus, Winnie Davis Hall, was erected in 1902 as a memorial to the daughter of Jefferson Davis. In 1910 the Carnegie

Library was erected with a grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.

Because of its historical and educational significance, it is listed on

the National Register of Historic Places. In 1929 the institution's name

was changed to The Coordinate College. During WW II, the campus

was used by the U.S. Army as a training site and after WW II the

school was again occupied by women students attending the university. In 1953 the site was purchased by the U.S. Navy as a permanent location for its Supply Corps School.

 

(Note: This marker is part of a two-sided marker erected by the U.S. Navy Supply Corps School in the 1990s. The western side of the marker is shown above and replaces State Historical Marker 029-3, which was erected by the Georgia Historical Commission in 1955 and returned to Georgia Department of Natural Resources around 1999. The eastern side of the marker notes the founding of the Navy Supply Corps School.)

 

 

Click here to view Winnie Davis Hall today.

Go to Georgia Historical Markers website