Troy University has a long tradition of excellence in teaching. It was established by the Alabama Legislature on February 26th 1887. This is when Troy State Normal School was created to train Alabama teachers. The institution's first president was Joseph Macon Dill. The school was renamed Troy State Normal College in 1893. The Normal College provided extension classes for teachers, and issued teaching certificates up until 1929 when it was renamed Troy State Teacher's College by the State Board of Education. The college was moved to its current site in the same year. In the following year, Shackelford Hall was dedicated to Edward Madison Shackelford who served as president from 1899-1936. Bibb Graves Hall is named after David Bibb Graves. Governor Bibb Graves also received the commission to design campus landscaping by the Olmsted Brothers architecture firm, Brookline, Massachusetts. Since then, the building was renamed in honor of John Robert Lewis (a Pike County native) who is a long-standing Georgia congressman and civil rights icon. Troy State Teacher's College, like many American universities enjoyed a period of high growth following World War II. This was when veterans took advantage the VA Educational Benefits. More than doubling the College's enrollment led to the creation of business degree programs. The State Board of Education acknowledged this new role in 1957 and removed "Teacher's” from Troy State College's title.