Dorchester Academy Boy's Dormitory

This Georgian Revival building, built in 1934 to replace an earlier structure destroyed by fire, was once part of an extensive school campus begun in 1871 by the American Missionary Association. The school, founded to serve the educational needs of black children of Liberty County and coastal Georgia, closed in 1940 after public education became available to black children. In 1948 the American Missionary Association, with the assistance of the local community, expanded the dormitory into a community center, which by 1961 would become the focus for many activities associated with the Civil Rights Movement. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference sponsored Citizen Education Workshops here (1962-1964), training over 1,000 teachers and leaders, who in turn educated over 10,000 in the basics of voter registration and non-violent social change. Dr. M.L. King, Jr. held a planning retreat here in 1962 to prepare for the 1963 Birmingham Campaign, one of the first major victories of the Civil Rights Movement.