THOMASVILLE, GA (WTXL) -- The Jack Hadley Black History Museum received a six-figure grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
From slavery to the civil rights movement, the museum spans decades of history and showcases a variety of subjects, both locally and nationally.
Though the museum has only been open since 2006, curator and founder James "Jack" Hadley started collecting items in 1979 -- and now has about 5,000
"So much have been lost," Hadley said, "and so, what I'm doing is playing catch-up."
The museum will now be able to hire a full-time teacher to educate students and the community.
"We've been very fortunate. It's just a blessing," Hadley said. "I tell you, it's a dream that we prayed for, with the idea that we're doing it for the kids, just for our young people."
Hadley said that the grant will help the museum work with local schools to showcase more black history in the classroom.
"We'll use some of my excess stuff that I don't have on the walls," he said. "Kids will be able to feel, touch and really get an on-hand experience of black history."
Funding $115,904 over a three-year period, Hadley says the grant is an important investment for kids.
"We want to keep in their mind it's important to preserve your history, because if you don't at the bad past and try to correct it for the future, then you're going to end up doing what happened in the past," he said.
This is the second grant the museum has received in the past four years.
