The Revolutionary Mobile Classroom
The Jesup Agricultural Wagon was a horse-drawn mobile classroom created by George Washington Carver in 1906. It brought agricultural education directly to rural farmers who couldn't travel to Tuskegee Institute.
This innovative approach became the model for the USDA's Cooperative Extension Service and is considered one of Carver's most important contributions to American agriculture.
The "Movable School"
Equipped with seeds, farming tools, crop samples, and educational materials, the wagon traveled through rural Alabama demonstrating modern farming techniques to farmers in the field.
What the Wagon Carried
Improved crop varieties
Modern farming equipment
Demonstration crops
Practical guides
Soil improvement samples
Peanut/sweet potato samples
Why It Was Named "Jesup"
The wagon was funded by Morris K. Jesup, a wealthy New York banker and philanthropist who supported African American education. Jesup provided $600 to build the wagon, and it was named in his honor.
Booker T. Washington supported the project, seeing it as a way to extend Tuskegee's educational mission beyond the campus.
Lasting Impact
- Model for Extension Services: Inspired the USDA's nationwide Cooperative Extension program established in 1914
- Practical Education: Showed that education should come to people, not just wait for them to come to institutions
- Racial Progress: Demonstrated African American scientific expertise to white and Black farmers alike
- Agricultural Revolution: Helped spread crop rotation and diversification practices across the South