Franklin County Mississippi African-American Schools in 1937 Contributed by: Ann Allen Geoghegan ****************************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ****************************************************************** http://www.usgwarchives.net ******************************************************************* There were 25 African-American Schools in Franklin County, MS in 1937. Beach Grove Colored School Beech Grove Colored School Bethlehem Colored School Bude Colored School Buie Colored School Bunckley Colored School Cloy Colored School Cool Springs Colored School Higdon Colored School Kelly Colored School Knoxville Colored School Magee Colored School Marsh Colored School Meadville Colored School Moss Point Colored School Mount Olive Colored School Mount Pleasant Colored School New Fork Colored School Pleasant Grove Colored School Quentin Colored School Rosehill Colored School Roxie Colored School Spring Hill Colored School Whiteapple Colored School Yap Colored School What follows is a short article about each of these 25 schools. The articles were taken from the Records of the Franklin County, Mississippi Historical Research Project conducted in 1937 by the WPA Project. The canvassers were Annette Wilkinson, Mildred Porter and Pearle B. Seale. The Director of the Historical Research Project for Franklin County was Elizabeth Herring. ********************************************************************* Beach Grove Colored School Beach Grove Colored School is on the Roxie-Kirby road about four miles east of Roxie. The type of work varies little from that of other colored schools. The house is a frame building containing one room, equipped with benches for students and a teacher’s desk. The present instructor is E. M. Blackman. Beech Grove Colored School Beech Grove Colored School (Separate District) is located near Knoxville in the section known as Freewood. It is a one room frame building with home made benches for pupils and a desk for the teacher. It is built on top of a high hill and is very difficult to reach by automobile. There is no playground equipment. The present teacher is Lillie B. Hunt Bethlehem Colored School Bethlehem Colored School is located between Roxie and Hamburg, about one and one-half miles north of Hamburg. This was used as a white church and school for some time, but it is used by negroes now. The building burned several months ago, but has been replaced with a new building. About twenty pupils attend this school under the instruction of W. J. Malone and Evelyn Chasey. Bude Colored School Bude Colored School was chartered in 1914, but was not built until 1918. Until the building was completed the school was taught in an old vacant building in Bude. This school is a Separate School District and has the same trustees as the Bude White School. The present school is better equipped than the average county school. There is a small library and desks for all pupils. There is no transportation furnished for pupils and they walk. There are pupils from Bude, Monroe and near Eddiceton who walk. Beginners through eighth grade are taught at this school. The children play ball and other games during play period. Buie Colored School Buie Colored School is located near Edgar Smith settlement. This school, at one time, was the old Oliver School and was owned by the white people. In later years, when school conditions began to improve, this school building was sold to the colored people. This school is a one room building with home made desks. This school is being taught by Nicey Crockett. Bunckley Colored School Bunckley Colored School is located in the river bottom-land about eight miles from Meadville. It is named for the original owner of the plantation on which it is built. This school is quite old and is now being taught by Susie O’Dell. Cloy Colored School Cloy Colored School is across the Homochitto River from Monroe on the Cloy place. The building has only one room and is a frame building with very little equipment. The only equipment consists of a few desks, benches, chairs and blackboards. No transportation is furnished the pupils; they walk several miles to school. Beginners through sixth grade are taught. Cool Springs Colored School Cool springs Colored School is located in the Alvie Smith settlement, a one room building with home made desks. The school is taught at present by Louise Wilkinson. Higdon Colored School Higdon Colored School is located near Hamburg, between Hamburg and Oldenburg. It is the usual type of colored school with rude equipment and no playground equipment at all. The teacher at present is Ida Mae Kelly. Kelly Colored School Kelly Colored School is located in the Oldenburg Community between the home of Carl Lehmann and the Oldenburg Presbyterian Church. The school is in very bad condition, being almost dangerous for use. It is rudely equipped and is being taught at present by T. R. Rogers. Knoxville Colored School Knoxville Colored School is a separate district and is located in the village of Knoxville. It is a one room building with glass windows and homemade benches. The building is unpainted. The present teacher is Nancy Adams. Magee Colored School Magee Colored School was moved from Magee’s Creek to McCall in 1909. This school is a one room building with four glass windows and homemade benches. Names of teachers who have taught this school are: E. L. Johnson, L. A. Cain, Fanny Ford, Louis Campbell, Virginia Edward, Ina Wyner, Purnia Mae Campbell, Ora Lee Maxon, Anna Wood, Alma Carter, Mamie Smith, Willie Wilbur, and Lucille Patterson, present teacher. Marsh Colored School Marsh Colored School is on the Meadville Knoxville road, known as the river road, about four miles from Meadville. It is a small one room building, poorly equipped. This school has been at this place for the past several years. At present the instructor is Florence King. Meadville Colored School Meadville Colored School is located on Highway 84 in the town of Meadville. There is one building of two rooms, which is a frame building and poorly equipped. There are a few books in the library. There is no transportation furnished and the children walk to school. First through sixth grade is taught. The children have a play period and games are played. Moss Point Colored School Moss Point Colored School is in the extreme western part of District one, near the Jefferson County line. It may be reached by the Hamburg- Stampley Road. The building is hardly suitable for use, being badly in need of repair. The equipment is rather poor. The school is taught by Louise Cameron. Mount Olive Colored School Mount Olive Colored School is located between Kirby and the Hamburg- Meadville Road. This school was built with the Rosenwald School Fund and the best equipped Negro school in the county. The building contains several rooms. A teacher’s home is also provided. Both buildings are painted. F. E. Cason is the principal of the school, assisted by Florence Banks. Mount Pleasant Colored School Mount Pleasant Colored School is in District 3 of Franklin County on the Meadville and Union Church Road. This school is a large one room frame building painted white. It has no library and very little equipment. There is no transportation furnished and the pupils walk for miles. Beginners through sixth grade are taught. There is a play period at school each day, but there are no organized activities. New Fork Colored School New Fork Colored School is about five miles west of Roxie near the home of W. T. Hickingbottom. It is the usual type of colored school, a small one room building with rude equipment. The usual subjects are taught, the grades ranging from beginners to eighth. The present instructor is Dolly Webber. Pleasant Grove Colored School Pleasant Grove Colored School is located in District 5 of Franklin County. This is a one room frame building, poorly equipped and has no library. There is no transportation furnished and the children walk to school. First through sixth grade is taught. There are no extra curricular activities other than a play period. Quentin Colored School Quentin Colored School began in 1919. The first terms were taught by Easter Johnson. They had no school building, so it was taught in an old dwelling house. Later the Quentin Lumber Company furnished material to build a church which was to be used for both church and school. The fourth term was improved to a two-teacher type and was taught by G. W. Magee and Mattie Collins for two terms. The next four terms were taught by A. J. Knighten and Addie Mae Tillman. The terms were run six months by the county and supplemented two months by the Quentin Lumber Company which made and eight month term. The terms 1927-28-29 were taught by L. C. Nelson and C. C. Malone. During their term money was raised by the patrons and a new heater was bought, also $5.00 was raised and spent for other purposes at the school. The terms of 1930-31-32-33-34-35 were taught by M. E. Howard. Money was raised by the P. T. A. and built two toilets a library and also supplied some of the children with books. Stove pipes and window panes were bought for the school. The school is now taught in the church. The term of 1936-37 is being taught by M. J. Coleman and M. M. Adams. During the term the patrons have raised money and supplied the school with a new heater and pipes, water bucket, dipper, broom, window panes and curtains, and also made two work tables. They are hoping to be able to get sanitary toilets at an early date. Rosehill Colored School Rosehill Colored School is on the McComb-Meadville Highway in District 5. This is a new three room frame building and very neat. There is little equipment. There are a few books available for reading but there is no library. There is no transportation furnished the pupils and they walk to school. First through sixth grades are taught. There is a basketball court and the pupils play other games during the play period. Roxie Colored School Roxie Colored School is located near the center of the town of Roxie. It is a long narrow building, containing only one room, which is fairly well equipped. Benches are used by the students, since no desks are provided for them. The school has been in its present location for several years. About thirty pupils attend this school, being under the instruction of Bernice Davis and Lizzie Hall. Spring Hill Colored School Spring Hill Colored School is located between Whiteapple and Knoxville in District 1. The building was originally built for a church and now serves the purpose of both. About fifteen pupils attend this school and are instructed by Mary Blue. Whiteapple Colored School Whiteapple Colored School is located directly behind the Whiteapple Consolidated School. It is near the home of Dick Pickett, colored, and is a small one room building rather poorly equipped. It is situated in a rather isolated place, being hard to reach except on foot. At present it is being taught by Lovey Campbell. Yap Colored School Yap Colored School is in District 5 near Berry School. Victoria Johnson is the present teacher. The school is a one room frame building with few doors and windows. There is very little equipment except a few desks, some homemade benches and desk. There is no transportation furnished by the county and the children walk to school. The first through sixth grades are taught. There are no special courses taught. There are no extra curricular activities other than playground. There is no playground equipment and the children play games, furnishing their own equipment. REF: C. C. Ratcliff, Meadville, MS R. N. Scott, Roxie, MS J. J. Whittington, Bude, MS M. J. Coleman, Quentin, MS