February 1, 2006
Thomasville, Georgia-- Outside a once segregated school in Thomasville, yesterday's waste is making way for tomorrow's history lessons. Inside, dusty furniture will hold the exhibits of Thomasville's first African-American heritage museum.
"A lot of people say, where am I going to get all this stuff? I already have it," says founder, Jack Hadley. Hadley attended the old Douglas School. Memorabilia of the school's past will partner with Hadley's collection of more 2,000 pieces. "I'm on a long term lease from the Douglas Alumni Association to house my black history collection," says Hadley.
From posters charting the history to pictures memorializing the civil rights movement, donors make the museum possible. 07:01:06 "Trophy cases and cases have been donated by the Thomas County Historical Society. We setup a budget for about $126,000. And, so far, we've raised $50,000," says Hadley.
There's still a lot of work to do. Unfortunately, Hadley couldn't open on Wednesday, the first day of Black History Month, as he'd wanted, but he's hoping to by summer, for everyone. "To be able to survive we have got to know about each other," says Hadley. An effort Hadley's been working on for 21 years.
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