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Augusta’s Historic Haines Institute Recognized in New Historical Marker

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Augusta, GA, August 25, 2009-- The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) along with the Haines Alumni Association, Inc. will unveil a new historical marker to recognize the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute and the historic Cauley Wheeler Building. The dedication will be held in the Lucy Laney Comprehensive High School Gymnasium at 1339 Laney Walker Boulevard in Augusta on Friday, September 4, 2009, at 10:00 a.m.  

The Haines Normal and Industrial Institute was developed by African-American educator Lucy Craft Laney.   After teaching in Macon, Savannah and Milledgeville, Laney started teaching in Augusta in 1883.  Three years later, a passionate appeal for funding in Minnesota reached the attention of Mrs. Francine E. H. Haines.  Mrs. Haines, for whom the institute was named, was impressed by Ms. Laney’s speech and helped secure $10,000 for expansion of the school.  Offering a comprehensive education of “the heart, the hand and the head,” the Haines Institute graduated respected leaders, doctors, lawyers, teachers and nurses who would play an important role in African-American local and state history.  Completed in 1924 and located on the campus of Lucy Laney High School, the Cauley-Wheeler building is the last remaining structure from the original Haines campus.  The marker text reads as follows:

Haines Normal and Industrial Institute

Established by influential educator Lucy Craft Laney, the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute was chartered in 1886 and grew to include a Kindergarten to Junior College curriculum, the Lamar School of Nursing, and a teacher training program. Named for benefactor Francine Haines, the Institute also served the African-American community as cultural center before its replacement in 1949 with the present Laney High School.  The Cauley-Wheeler Building (1924), located in the center of campus, housed the primary school and was named for philanthropist Alice Wheeler of New York and her nurse Mary Cauley, a Lamar graduate.  It is the last remaining building from the original Haines campus.

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and the Haines Alumni Association, Inc.

Historical markers, which recognize people, places and events, are effective tools for economic development, connecting tourists and students of all ages to the places where history happened and encouraging local tourism and general state-wide interest.  GHS has administered Georgia's historical marker program since 1998, erecting over 150 markers statewide.