GeorgiaThe Jack Hadley Black History Museum in Thomasville is the city's first Black history museum, founded in the mid-1990s by James 'Jack' Hadley, a Douglass High School graduate and Air Force veteran who spent decades collecting African American memorabilia. The collection grew from a modest Black History Week school project into more than 4,600 artifacts, documents, books, prints, posters, and photographs spotlighting Thomasville's Black achievers alongside national figures. Fittingly, the museum is located on the former campus of Douglass High School, a school that served Thomasville's segregated Black community from 1902 until 1970. Exhibits highlight local trailblazers, military service, education, and everyday life, and the museum is recognized by the National Park Service among sites documenting African American heritage. It remains a community-based institution focused on education and preservation of local history.
Jack Hadleys Black History Memorabilia
Georgia history, up close and curated.
Jack Hadleys Black History Memorabilia is a museum in Thomasville, Thomas County. It is one of 113 historic sites cataloged in Thomas County on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 30.8389, -83.9935 near Thomasville. The nearest cataloged historic site is Dewey City Historic District (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Civil War Prison Camp, Church of the Good Shepherd, and Hopkins, Judge Henry William and Francesca, House.
This record is drawn from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
The Jack Hadley Black History Museum in Thomasville is the city's first Black history museum, founded in the mid-1990s by James 'Jack' Hadley, a Douglass High School graduate and Air Force veteran who spent decades collecting African American memorabilia. The collection grew from a modest Black History Week school project into more than 4,600 artifacts, documents, books, prints, posters, and photographs spotlighting Thomasville's Black achievers alongside national figures. Fittingly, the museum is located on the former campus of Douglass High School, a school that served Thomasville's segregated Black community from 1902 until 1970. Exhibits highlight local trailblazers, military service, education, and everyday life, and the museum is recognized by the National Park Service among sites documenting African American heritage. It remains a community-based institution focused on education and preservation of local history.
Sources: home.nps.goven.wikipedia.orgjackhadleyblackhistorymuseum.com
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