The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.Courtesy of
Barton Academy
Barton Academy in Mobile was Alabama's first public school. Established in 1836, it was named for state representative Willoughby Barton, the author of the bill that created Mobile's public school system. The building was used as a hospital for Union soldiers in 1864 during the Civil War.