Gregory Normal School was the first legal school admitting African-American students in Wilmington, North Carolina. It operated from 1868–1921. It was originally known as Wilmington Normal School when it was organized by a group of eight Protestant missionaries from New England who were sponsored by the American Missionary Association. It was renamed the Gregory Normal Institute in 1883 in honor of J. H. Gregory of Massachusetts who had made a substantial donation to the schools operations.