West Broad Street School

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West Broad Street School
West Broad Street School in Athens, Georgia.png
West Broad Street School (c. 1913)
Location
West Broad Street School
West Broad at Minor Street,
Athens, Georgia

Clarke County

United States
Coordinates 33°57′09″N83°23′50″W / 33.952587°N 83.397345°W / 33.952587; -83.397345
Information
Former namesWest Broad Street School for Colored,
West Broad Public School for Negroes
School typePublic
Founded1891 (1891)

West Broad Street School was a public school for African Americans founded in 1891, in Athens, Georgia, United States. Three of its historic school buildings remain. [1] [2] The Clarke County Board of Education has been in ongoing discussion about the future of this former campus since 2016, with mention of proposed demolition in order to build a low income early childhood education program at the site. [1] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Pre-history

The Baxter Street School was the first Athens public school specifically for African American students, opened in 1886. [6] That same year in 1886, Washington Street School (formerly the Market Street School) was opened for white students. [6] [7] In 1893 the Baxter Street School was remodeled and used for white students. [6] [8] The same year in 1893, the West Broad Street School and the East Athens School were opened for African American students. [8]

History

The West Broad Street School land was purchased by the school district in 1891, and the earliest building was completed in 1893, which was presumably demolished later for overcrowding. [9] In 1893, A.J. Carey served as the first principal, he previously was principal at the Baxter Street School. [8] Rev. James Albert Bray served as the principal from 1902 until 1903, while he also worked as a pastor at Trinity CME Church in Augusta, Georgia. [10]

The oldest of the three extant buildings is the Minor Street Building (1938) dating back to a time of Jim Crow laws; the other campus buildings are the West Broad Street Building (1954) and Campbell Lane Building (1958). [11] [9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Meunier, Danielle (November 17, 2021). "West Broad Street School". The Georgia Trust. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  2. ↑ Rawls, Nava (June 23, 2021). "West Broad Street School: The fight for the preservation of Athens history". The Red & Black. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  3. ↑ "West Broad Property Information". Clarke County School District. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  4. ↑ Warnke, Lucinda (June 26, 2021). "CCSD announces new plan for West Broad School". The Red & Black. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  5. ↑ Thompson, Jim. "West Broad garden could be downsized dramatically". Online Athens. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 "The History of Black Education in Athens". The Red & Black. Spring 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2024– via Issuu.
  7. ↑ Thomas, Frances Taliaferro (2009). A Portrait of Historic Athens & Clarke County. University of Georgia Press. p. 321. ISBN   978-0-8203-3044-0.
  8. 1 2 3 Thurmond, Michael L. (1999). "Black Educators and Their Schools: Quenching the Thirst for Knowledge, Athens Historian, Volume IV". Athens Historical Society.
  9. 1 2 Allen, Stephanie. "After months of talks about saving Athens' West Broad School, its future remains unclear". Online Athens. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  10. ↑ Murphy, Larry G.; Melton, J. Gordon; Ward, Gary L. (November 20, 2013). "Bray, James Albert". Encyclopedia of African American Religions. Routledge. p. 114. ISBN   978-1-135-51338-2.
  11. ↑ "Historic Athens cries foul over West Broad School demolition". WUGA, University of Georgia. May 6, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
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