The Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church and Rosenwald School in Macon County were listed in the National Register of Historic Places on August 6, 2010. The Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church and Rosenwald School are nationally important as physical reminders of the U.S. Public Health Service's Syphilis Study that took place in Macon County from 1932-1972. This controversial study involved over 400 victims many of whom were recruited and examined at the Shiloh Church and School. It had a major impact on the history of medicine and the future of medical ethics in the United States.

The Shiloh school building also has significance for its association with the Rosenwald School building program. The program, initiated by Booker T. Washington and funded by Julius Rosenwald, CEO of Sears and Roebuck, assisted with the construction of more than 5,000 schools for blacks in 15 southern states from 1912-1932. Almost 400 Rosenwald schools were constructed in Alabama. Macon County with 19 tied with Chambers County for the most in the state. The Shiloh school is the only one found still remaining in Macon County. Over the years, church members provided the school with financial support as well as physical maintenance until its closure c. 1960.

The National Register of Historic Places is a program of the National Park Service and is the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. The Alabama Historical Commission administers the program in Alabama.

For more information about the National Register of Historic Places, visit www.preserveala.org/nationalregister.aspx.