Lee Street School and Its Community 1925 - 1969: Black Schools in Pierce County

By Oscar L. Avant

The book tells the story of a rural black southern community that struggled to thrive during the period of segregation. It brings to the forefront how a small rural community found ways to educate their black children. The small schools would consolidate to increase the quality of education. Eventually the Lee Street School became the one high school in the county for black children. This is their story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512740769

Oscar L. Avant

Oscar L. Avant is a pastor, mentor, poet, former US Marine, and a retired engineer with several patents. He and his wife, Diana, have been married fifty-three years and provide Christian counseling. They live in Ashton, Maryland, and have two married adult children.

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Copyright © 2016 Oscar L. Avant.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-4075-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-4074-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-4076-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016907136

WestBow Press rev. date: 04/29/2016

CONTENTS

Dedication

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

CHAPTER 1

Black Schools in America's South at the turn of the Century

The Beginnings

Why the education of blacks in the South lagged behind the education of whites

School Conditions

The Rationalization of Segregation

Case History

The Invisible Hand

Julius Rosenwald Meets Booker T. Washington

The Big Idea

The Solution

CHAPTER 2

Communities in Pierce County

Black Schools in Pierce County

The Eaddyville School

The Deen Still School

Patterson School

New Hope School (Pine Grove Community)

Offerman

Mershon

Bristol

Blackshear Colored Academy

Other Schools

The Booker T. Washington Experiment

CHAPTER 3

The Story of Lee Street School

The Beginnings

Physical Education and Sports

Homecoming

Industrial Education (Shop/Home Economics)

Literature and the Arts

History, Journalism and Civics

Student School Memories

First Grader (six year old)

Third Grader (eight year old)

Fourth Grader (nine year old)

Fifth Grader (ten year old)

Sixth Grader (eleven year old)

Ninth Grader (fourteen year old)

Tenth Grader (fifteen year old)

Tenth Grader (fifteen year old)

Eleventh Grader (sixteen year old)

Twelfth Grader (seventeen year old)

Twelfth Grader (seventeen year old)

Librarian (Mrs. Meeks)

Graduation

Desegregation of Schools in Pierce County

CHAPTER 4

Growing up in the Community

Shared Stories

My Story

Jobs and Livelihood

Facilities

Church and Spiritual Life

Racial Attitudes

The School and its influence

FACULTY OF LEE STREET HIGH

CHAPTER 5

Our Generation

CHAPTER 6 (MEMORIES)

The House by the Side of the Road by Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911)

If by Rudyard Kipling (1865 -- 1936)

A Psalm of Life by William Brighty Rands (1823 -- 1882)

Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe (1809 -- 1849)

The Rainy Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow(1807 -- 1882)

A Psalm of Life by Henry W. Longfellow 1807--1882

Invictus: The Unconquerable by William Ernest Henley

Trees by Joyce Kilmer. 1886--1918

The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes

Conclusion

The Re-Union Committee Chair Persons

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to the faculty and alumni of Lee Street School. And, to all of those past and present who invested in the lives of the black children of Pierce County.

To the parents, philanthropists, friends and the Board of Education we say thank you for your contributions to making us (Lee Street Alumni) who we are today.

We honor you.

Education is a debt due from the present to future generations. _____ George Peabody

FOREWORD

In this book my friend and fellow alumni Oscar Avant has summarized the history of young black children growing up in a rural southern county during the poignant era of segregation. While our story may be as typical as the next small town -- this is uniquely our story.

When humanity looks back on our times, this book will tell our story as seen through our eyes. When we can appreciate the obstacles we have overcome in the past, we can gain the confidence to master our future.

I commend this book to all readers, especially those who have heritage in rural southern schools during the times of segregation and, in particular, to the alumni of Lee Street High School. Underneath the surface -- all of our stories are being told.

Let it be known to the entire world that,We were here, we had a school -- and we were proud of it.

Cassius Williams

Chairman, Lee Street School Reunion Committee

PREFACE

A few months ago a letter was sent out from the Chairman of the Lee Street School Reunion Committee, Mr. Cassius Williams, to the alumni of the school asking whether there were others interested in taking on the leadership role for the reunions.

In my response I suggested that we consider how to plant a memorial more lasting than our reunion gatherings.

When the Reunion Committee discussed this, I was invited to become the School Historian. After responding in the affirmative I considered that -- to write a history of the school was a fitting thing to do to plant a lasting memorial of the school.

This book, also celebrating the tenth anniversary of our tri-year reunions, is the statement of the reunion committee that, we remember our years at Lee Street School and we honor and celebrate one another.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I want to thank my wife for putting up with me while I had books and newspapers all over the dinner table and intruded on our time to put this book together. I also want to thank Mrs. Dorothy Stringfellow for her review and edit of my preliminary manuscript.

My thanks are expressed to: Julius Myers, Horace Myers, Talmadge Washington, James Evans, Claude Ray James, Billye Britton Rivers, Roy G. Primus and others who generously provided articles or conversation that enabled me to add personal stories of our school and community.

A debt of gratitude is owed to Verde, the librarian at the Pierce County Library. The Blackshear Times articles that she provided were invaluable in helping to piece the story together. And finally to Mrs. Mamie Jean Britton Turner, who evidently has kept a news board of Blackshear Times articles on Lee Street over the years. Thanks to Billye for providing copies of those items to me.

To all of you, mentioned and unmentioned, thanks for your help.

Finally, to the excellent people at Westbow, thanks again for guiding me through this process and delivering a quality product in an accelerated time frame.

Thanks to all of you.

INTRODUCTION

There is a lack of information in public places concerning the educational plight of black Americans during the dark periods between 1865 and the turn of the century. This is especially true for rural areas. This darkness continued even into the twentieth century and was reinforced by court decisions.

Most writings about this period do not focus on, nor do they give credence