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For nearly a century, this site served African-American school children of Palestine’s Old Town community. The school board established the “First Ward School for Coloreds” in 1875. James M. McMeans was the first principal, and Jurlee Sims-Lee and Alex Vincent were the first teachers. In 1889, a $2,000 frame building replaced the original schoolhouse. The Palestine school board changed the school’s name to Frederick Douglass Elementary School in 1898, following the death of the prominent civil rights leader. A 1912 fire destroyed the Douglass School, and classes were held temporarily at Mt. Vernon Methodist Church until a new brick schoolhouse was completed on the original site. The Douglass School housed first through sixth grade. Twice a year, the school hosted meetings of the City Teachers’ Association, an organization of African-American teachers. General assemblies were held each Friday, with students presenting programs in the form of singing, storytelling, poetry reading and spelling bees. Each class contributed to the Douglass School display for the Anderson County Fair each October. Three generations of the Freeman family served as Douglass School principals: William (1901-09), Byron (1927-42, 1945-57) and Jack (1957-67). In May 1967, the school board announced that Douglass School would be closed permanently at the end of the school year. Teachers and students were reassigned to other schools in the district. The school building was then used for a variety of small businesses before being torn down in the 1980s. Douglass School has the distinction of being the only public school built in the old town neighborhood. For generations in Palestine, it operated as an educational, social and community center. (2009) |
