City of Thomasville - GA history

One year later, on December 22, 1826, a location was established for the new county seat, Thomasville.

Henry Ossian Flipper was born into slavery in Thomasville, Georgia on March 21, 1856.

Without a railroad until 1861, Thomas County residents became largely self-sufficient.

Henry O. Flipper was the first black graduate of West Point in 1877.

It was built of heart pine lumber in 1896.

In 1906, the City of Thomasville purchased the generator from Thomasville Electric Light and Gas Company for $32,000.

Its first air date was in 1922.

The Forbes Building, built in 1932, is one of the original structures on campus and is still in use today.

Thomas University’s origins date back to 1950 when the Primitive Baptist Church chartered the institution as Birdwood Junior College at the winter home of the Honorable W. Cameron Forbes, former Governor General of the Philippines, Ambassador to Japan and grandson of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The last plant expansion was completed in 1951.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower visited Thomas County in 1956 to rest after an illness and to decide whether or not to run for a second term.

The Thomasville native won an Oscar for her role in The Three Faces of Eve (1957) and was the wife of the late actor Paul Newman.

In 1976, the Primitive Baptist Church relinquished control of the college and the name was changed to Thomas County Community College.

The City of Thomasville became one of the original members of the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia in 1977 in order to purchase electricity at a reduced rate.

1993 Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward, Jr. is a native of Thomasville and graduate of Thomas County Central High School.

In January 2000, the name was changed to Thomas University.

He received a Silver Star for the Iraq invasion in 2003 and is the first African-American to command combat troops.

In 2017, Thomas University opened the Center for Professional Learning offering customized training and certification preparation classes in a variety of areas including contracting, cyber security and project management.

The Center for Military Life was established in 2018 to support military personnel and their families’ service throughout the military from pre-enlistment to veteran status.