United States, Georgia, Muscogee County, Columbus, 32.46098, -84.98771Seibert, David, 1941-20201996/2014Location: 1200 block of 1st Avenue, ColumbusText of marker: "FIRST BLACK PUBLIC SCHOOL. Near here, in July 1872, the first local public school for black students opened. The school was the result of an action by the City Council directing the Trustees of the Columbus Public Schools to set up classes for blacks. For the first of these, the trustees rented Temperance Hall, built in 1849. Until the 1871 opening of the Springer Opera House, this had been the city's foremost theater. On its stage had appeared many of the opera, music and theater greats of the era. Among them was John Wilkes Booth. The school operated here until 1874 when it was moved to the former AME church on Sixth Avenue. ERECTED BY THE HISTORIC CHATTAHOOCHEE COMMISSION AND THE MUSCOGEE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 1990"image/jpegenghttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/Historical markers--Georgia--Muscogee CountyAfrican American schools--Georgia--ColumbusFirst Black Public School historical markerStillImage