The Perdue Hill Industrial School was founded by Patrick J. Carmichael after he moved to this area in 1918. Carmichael served as both principal and teacher in the school’s early years, when it was a one-room building with eleven students. The State of Alabama contributed $75 each year to operating costs, and students paid annual tuition of $.25, though for the African-American children the school served, tuition was often paid with chickens or cans of syrup when money was scarce. Over the next forty-six years, Carmichael helped the school grow to twelve rooms serving 250 students and ten teachers. The school closed in 1964, and in 1968 the Alabama State Senate honored Carmichael for outstanding accomplishments and contributions to humankind.