FOSTERS, ALABAMA is named after James Foster whose family settled here around 1818. Col James Collier Foster (1817-1904) - Find a Grave Memorial

The post office was established in 1833. The Sylvan community was located about a mile south of Fosters. They had a white school with a post office. The post office existed from 1874 until 1918. Manly Academy was another white school located just north of Grant's Creek Baptist Church and across the road from the residence of M.K. Patton.

Before private or public schools were established in Tuscaloosa County, rural families sent their children to OLD FIELD SCHOOLS for a few as three months a year. Old Field Schools | NCpedia

By the 1850s, Manly Academy had been established in Fosters.

 "Manly Academy" was a prominent 19th-century private school located in Foster's Settlement (present-day Fosters, Alabama). It provided primary and early preparatory education for children in the Tuscaloosa area, notably educating several historically significant individuals before its closure in the latter half of the 1800s. [1, 2, 3]

The small farming and railway community of Fosters sits just southwest of Tuscaloosa, acting as a historical anchor for early settlers in the region. If you are tracing its legacy or other historical roots, you can explore regional educational records or connect with the Tuscaloosa County Preservation Society for deep-dive resources into mid-19th-century Alabama academies. [, 2]

Historical Significance & Notable Alumni:

• Martha Foote Crow: A highly notable early attendee of the school in Fosters Settlement. She later attended Lucian La Taste's Institute and went on to become one of the founding members of the Alpha Phi sorority, a prominent American poet, and one of the first women to receive a Ph.D. in Europe. [1, 2]
• Alonzo Hill: Born in Tuscaloosa County in 1846, he attended Manly Academy before studying at the famous Green Springs School under Dr. Henry Tutwiler. Hill graduated from the University of Virginia and was awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree by the University of Alabama. [1]