The Liberty County Convention & Visitors Center announced recently that the historic Dorchester Academy at 8787 E. Oglethorpe Highway in Midway is included as one of more than 100 defining landmarks of the Civil Rights Movement in a national project called The U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

The U.S. Civil Rights Trail culminated from the collaboration of 14 states, with Travel South USA, to create an immersive and educational travel experience that connects the events, people and places that played pivotal roles in advancing social justice in the 1950s and 1960s.

Out of the 11 Georgian sites included in the collection of landmarks, the historic Dorchester Academy is acknowledged as one of the key meeting places for civil rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr.

“We could not be more pleased to see Dorchester Academy receiving the recognition it deserves as the seat of this time of rich history in our county,” said LCCVB CEO Leah Poole. “Our role in facilitating the involvement of the site on the trail was completely our pleasure and honor to assist with. With Dorchester as only one of two sites located outside of the metro Atlanta area (the other in Albany), we are hopeful that folks will come from all over the United States to see this piece of living history right here in our beautiful community.”

The historic Dorchester Academy now serves as an African-American history museum and community center and is currently developing a community education and research center.

For more information or to become a volunteer, call 912-884-2347.

To find more information about The U.S. Civil Rights Trail, please visit civilrightstrail.com, or contact the LCCVB at 912-368- 3580, visit www.libertycounty.org or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest as Explore Liberty.