Locust Grove Institute

Born in 1894 of a community mass meeting called for the purpose by B. J. W. Graham, Pastor of the Locust Grove Baptist Church, Locust Grove Institute was started as a coeducational school by the citizens of Locust Grove who gave the land and an initial $2,000, which was matched by the Flint River Baptist Association. It opened November 1, 1894 with 13 pupils, Y.E. Bargeron as Principal. Claude Gray, native of Butts County, one of the great educators of his day, was President from 1897 to 1928. Supported largely by the Flint River Association assisted by other Associations under a representative Board of Trustees, it was taken over by the Georgia Baptist Convention in 1917. Under Mr. and Mrs. Gray and an able faculty, this short-lived institution rose to a leading position in Southern education and was among the first to be accredited by the Southern Education Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. Discontinued in 1929 because of diminishing patronage and support resulting from the large expansion of public education, Locust Grove Institute lives in the minds, hearts, and accomplishments of hundreds of graduates.