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Historic photograph of Georgia Institute of Technology
In an effort to transform the agrarian South into an industrial economy that would rival the North, Georgia Governor Henry D. McDaniel established the Georgia School of Technology in 1885 by signing a bill that would fund and create the school.
After Atlanta won the bid over four other competing cities, Georgia Tech opened its doors to 84 students in October of 1888. In 1948, it was renamed the Georgia Institute of Technology.
As the school became a world-renowned technological university, it was one of the first schools in the Deep South to voluntarily admit African American students in 1961.
– Mark C. McDonald, Georgia Trust