Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College set to celebrate 114th birthday

TIFTON — When Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College celebrates its 114th birthday on Sunday, all faculty, staff, students and alumni should give a hearty shout out to Henry Harding Tift.

The founder of Tifton was the key figure in securing the location of the Second District Agricultural and Mechanical School in Tifton when 30 men traveled to Albany on Nov. 23, 1906, to bid on the rights to host the area high school.

The Tifton delegation, worth an aggregate of $10 million, according to The Tifton Gazette, bid against representatives from Albany, Pelham, Camilla and Ashburn. The newspaper reported that Tift County’s offer was 315 acres of land lying along the Georgia Southern and Florida right-of-way located a mile north of town, and $30,000 in cash.

“When he rose to fill five minutes of the time allotted Tift County, Mr. Tift presented an amended bid of $55,000 in cash, free lights and water, and telephone service for 10 years, a sewage system and 315 acres of land worth $50 per acre,” the Gazette said. “Later, learning that the timber on the land was desired for forestry study, he contributed this also, it being valued at $4,500. The raise of $25,000 at a jump caused the audience to catch its breath.

“Mr. Tift gave out of his own pocket, having subscribed $6,500 before going to Albany, a total of $36,400 in cash, the land, $4,500 worth of timber, and a portion of the light and water offer. It was estimated that Tifton’s offer now netted $95,700. In the committee room, Tifton led every ballot, and in the fifth balloting had eight votes, while Pelham reached seven votes, its high-water mark. Finally, in the eighth balloting, Tifton received eleven, one more than necessary.”

The newspaper proclaimed in its next edition, “The Hallelujah Day Has Come, Tifton Lands the A&M School.” At a commencement ceremony years later, Tift said, “Of all the investments I have ever made, this school has brought me the biggest dividends.”

The dividends continue to this day. In 2020, ABAC had an annual economic impact of $390,015,778 on Tifton and the surrounding area. The college now has nearly 4,000 students from 155 of Georgia’s 159 counties, 52 of Florida’s 67 counties, 19 countries, and 18 states.

Most of the students major in one of 12 bachelor’s degree programs, and more than 1,300 of the students live on campus in apartment-style residence halls.

ABAC has certainly changed over the years, including name changes: to the South Georgia A&M College in 1924, the Georgia State College for Men in 1929, and ABAC in 1933. It changed from a two-year college for 75 years to a traditional four-year college in 2008.

A group of 27 students walked up the steps of the main classroom building on Feb. 20, 1908, to begin classes at the Second District A&M School. That building is now named Tift Hall. Complete with pictures and memorabilia, an area just inside the main entrance is devoted to the legacy of Henry Harding Tift.

As Tifton celebrates its sesquicentennial this year, there’s no question that Tift paved the way to the future for the community and for ABAC.

Special Photo: ABAC