Street Manual Training School, African American vocational school in Richmond, Alabama.
The Street Manual Training School is a former African American school campus in Richmond, Alabama, with seven buildings erected between 1906 and 1964 and a water tower from about 1943. The remaining 23.1-acre site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Emmanuel M. Brown, a Harvard graduate, founded the school in 1904 and directed it until 1960 using Booker T. Washington's educational approach. The buildings that remain show how the institution grew and adapted over several decades.
The school served as a vital learning space for Black students who gained both classroom knowledge and hands-on skills during segregation. Walking through the buildings today, you can sense how the community built and maintained its own educational resources despite severe barriers.
The school stands in Richmond, Dallas County, Alabama, at coordinates 32.11310, -87.05970. The 23.1-acre remnant holds seven buildings and a circa 1943 water tower; the rest of the original campus was sold after the 1971 closure. Approach from the public road and view the structures from outside, since no visitor facilities are documented.
Emmanuel M. Brown lived on the campus from the school's founding and served as headmaster until his death in 1960. After the school closed in 1971, most of the land was sold off, leaving 23.1 acres with seven buildings and a water tower from about 1943.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,459 contributors worldwide.