Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church and Rosenwald School

Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church and Rosenwald School is a two-building complex along Highway 81 in Notasulga, with a frame church featuring a bell tower and a separate school building. Both structures sit on the same property in Macon County as part of a combined community facility.

The school opened in 1913 as part of Julius Rosenwald's national initiative to build educational facilities for African American children, operating until 1964. The church was constructed three years later in 1916 and became the center of community life alongside the school.

The church's interior preserves its original 1916 details, including hand-painted doors, pews, and wood trim that show the craftsmanship of the local African American community. These decorative elements reveal how much care people put into their gathering place.

The Shiloh Community Restoration Foundation oversees the property and offers visitors the option to tour the site with guidance focused on the buildings' history. Both structures are visible from the road, making them easy to locate and observe from the highway.

The site served as a gathering place for the community during the U.S. Public Health Service Syphilis Study conducted in Macon County from 1932 to 1973. This medical study remains a significant part of the area's history and how the community remembers its past.

Location: Alabama

GPS coordinates: 32.52333,-85.69444

Latest update: December 14, 2025 14:20