On this day in Alabama history: Tuskegee introduced Jesup Agricultural Wagon

Published On: 05.24.17 |

By: 9316

On this day in Alabama history: Tuskegee introduced Jesup Agricultural Wagon

May 24 feature 2

Tuskegee agricultural science pioneer George Washington Carver developed the "Movable School," a wagon and later a truck that brought new tools and crops to farmers who could not travel to Tuskegee for instruction. The staff of three included, from left, a home agent, a registered nurse, and a farm demonstration agent. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration)

May 24, 1906

The Jesup Agricultural Wagon began going to rural farms as part of the Tuskegee Institute Movable School. Meant to carry agricultural equipment and demonstration materials to farmers unable to travel, the Movable School program reached approximately 2,000 people a month throughout its first summer. The Movable School operated in several incarnations and, by 1930, included a demonstration agent, a home agent and a registered nurse. Officially retired from service in 1944, the Movable School lives on today through Tuskegee’s large and small animal ambulatory trucks, which bring the expertise of the Veterinary School’s staff to residents of the Black Belt.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

The Jesup Agricultural Wagon was the first vehicle used in Tuskegee Institute’s Movable School program, founded by educator George Washington Carver in 1906. The wagon was named for Morris K. Jesup, who funded the initial construction and acquisition of mules, rigging, and instructional materials. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, Courtesy of Tuskegee University)

A drawing by George Washington Carver of the Tuskegee Institute Movable School’s Jesup Wagon. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, Courtesy of Tuskegee University)