Old Fessenden Academy Historic District

The Fessenden Elementary School, a historic school previously known as Fessenden Academy, was founded in 1868 on the outskirts of Ocala, Florida, between Martin and Zuber. Since the 1950s, it has been part of the Marion County Public Schools district. When Fessenden was founded as a private academy for newly freed African-American students, there were no public schools for black students due to Jim Crow laws.