The image above was drawn by Dr. George Washington Carver, while Director of Tuskegee’s Agricultural Department.
The wagon was funded by someone named Jesup and therefore was later called The Jesup Wagon.
The Jesup Wagon was driven into surrounding areas of Tuskegee to bring what was being taught at Tuskegee to poor surrounding communities by Thomas Campbell, who, would travel and demonstrate various disciplines taught at Tuskegee.
Eventually, a nurse accompanied Mr. Campbell, to teach households healthier practices to reduce the spread of The whooping cough and other diseases prevalent during those days.
In his book: The Movable School Goes To The Negro Farmer, Thomas Campbell described some of the conditions they faced traveling throughout the South,
He wrote: “In many places , after a hard day’s work, I went to bed only to be disturbed in the night by countless bedbugs. Occasionally, they were so numerous that by morning the pillow’s and clothing were smeared with blood…it is true that with much more effort and inconvenience, I could have found better homes here and there in some communities, but my aim was to reach the man farthest down.”
