Saturday, July 5, 2014, was a day for history.

Academy Street High School in Troy was officially acknowledged for its place in history and the plan for its future was set in motion.

Academy Street High School alumni, community leaders and friends of the school gathered to celebrate the dedication of the marker that will set in stone the school’s place in history on Alabama’s Register of Historic Landmarks and Heritage.

A collective cheer arose from the crowd in appreciation for the role Academy Street High School played in the education of Troy’s black students from 1921 through 1974.

The historic marker reads: On May 9, 1921, S.B. Innis, C.L. Jenkins, James Henderson, Pres Thomas and C.B. Brooks, the “colored school committee,” entered into a school mortgage for the construction of a building for “colored school purposes” on East Academy Street.

The school began with two grades, one teacher and a term of 72 days in a two-room dwelling. By 1927, the school had become a junior high school with six teachers and six classrooms.

The City Board of Education changed the name from Troy Junior High School on Academy Street to Academy Street High School in 1941, the year of the school’s first graduating senior class.

The historic marker traces the history of the school and marks in place its history, but the real story of Academy Street High School is etched in the memory of those who walked those hallowed halls.

The day’s activities began with a march from Troy City Hall to Academy Street. The alumni proudly carried class flags and chanted cheers of “We are the Roving Tigers” and “We are the Golden Tigers.” There seemed to be a lapse in memory as to which “Tigers” but no one seemed to care.

“We’re alumni of Academy Street High School and that’s what matters,” said Lewis Gillis, AHSH committee. “This is our ninth school reunion and it is a special one, a historic one, because, today, we dedicate our historical marker. We have representatives from most of the graduating classes to carry the flags in the march to the school. For the other years, we have someone to symbolically carry the flag. We want every class to be represented on this momentous occasion.”

Gillis said the ninth School Reunion was a time of looking back and planning forward.

“Our hope is to have Academy Street High School restored to its glory days and to once again be a hub of community activity.”

In addressing the alumni, Troy Mayor Jason Reeves said Academy Street High School positively impacted the Troy community through its leadership and its students.

“Today is history,” he said. “Academy Street High School is who we were and a big part of who we will become.”

Willie Thomas, former school administrator, said the administration and staff of Academy Street High School had a “burning desire” to provide the students with the best education possible.

“The faculty knew that education was the key to success and happiness and enabled the students to live blessed and fruitful lives,” he said.

S.T. Wilson, Class of 1944, said those who attended Academy Street High School left lasting footprints in the sands of time.

Those footprints have provided a historic record of a proud past and set a path for successful futures for those who would follow, he said.

Sarah Spencer, Class of 1964, said 50 years later, her class remains close knit and caring, a hallmark of the school.

“Today means Academy Street High School is officially on record and its history is chiseled in stone,” she said. “We will return to our glory days.”

Gillis said July 5, 2014, will long be remembered as a most magnificent occasion and that the history of the school should now be recorded in print and its artifacts restored.

“When we come back in 2016, hopefully, we will be able to have every event on site,” he said in reference to a restored Academy Street High School and a collective cheer when up from the alumni crowd.

Shelia Jackson, director of City of Troy Tourism, said July 5, 2014, was a momentous day in the history of Troy.

“Academy Street High School played an important role in the educational system of Troy,” she said. “The school’s foundation was in a two-room school on East Academy Street in 1921. Until the high school closed its doors in 1974, it provided outstanding educational opportunities for black students. The city takes great pride in the many contributions those students have made and continue to make in our community and places throughout the country and the world. As Mayor Reeves said, July 5, 2014, has a place in history.”