This home was built for William Henry Spencer (1857-1925) by the Dudley Lumber Company in 1912. At a time when most African-Americans didn’t own their own homes, this was on par with any of the new construction in Columbus at the time.

According to Muscogee County Schools, William Henry Spencer “was a student in the Columbus public school system, the old Asbury Chapel, during the age of segregation. Dr. Spencer was an exemplary student who excelled in school and attained high honors. After obtaining his teaching certificate, he embarked on a fifty-year career in education.”

“As an educator, Dr. William Henry Spencer was the principal of the former Fifth Avenue School and the supervisor of the Negro Educational Department. He was dedicated to improving the curriculum of segregated schools and worked to establish courses in the fine arts and vocational arena.”

“Since African-American students in Columbus, Georgia had to travel as far as Atlanta to move beyond the ninth grade, Dr. Spencer began working towards opening an accredited high school for African-Americans in Columbus. Dr. Spencer’s determination result in the fruition of the aforementioned school. Sadly, he passed away on May 30, 1925, five years before the school was built. The school was originally built on Tenth Avenue, and it was named William Henry Spencer High School in his honor.”

Visit Historic Columbus for photos and a great essay about the life and influence of Spencer.

National Register of Historic Places