Thomasville native James “Jack” Hadley, a U.S. Air Force veteran, began collecting Black history memorabilia in 1968 while stationed in Spain. Concerned by his son's fears of being denied an education about Black History, Jack's collection has grown into the Jack Hadley Black History Museum, which houses over 4,600 artifacts that highlight the historical contributions of Black Americans from slavery to the present. Established as a nonprofit organization in 1995, the museum has loaned exhibits to schools and institutions across Georgia and beyond. Jack also co-authored African-American Life on the Southern Hunting Plantation, which captured oral histories dating from 1900 to 1940.