“A” is for Avery Normal Institute. Founded in 1865, the Avery Normal Institute was the first accredited secondary school for African Americans in Charleston. The school was established by the New York-based American Missionary Association (AMA). It was staffed with northern White missionaries and members of Charleston’s antebellum free Black community, such as the Cardoza brothers. A permanent new building was finished in 1868. The curriculum was expanded beyond primary and secondary education to include teacher training. Graduates excelled as educators and taught in one-room schoolhouses all over South Carolina. In 1947 Avery transitioned to a public school, but in 1954 the county school board closed Avery, citing financial reasons. In 1978 the Avery Institute of African American History and Culture was established and in October 1990 the grand opening of the renovated 1868 building took place.
“A” is for Avery Normal Institute
