In 1865, the Missouri
General Assembly made allowances for schools for black children. The black
Baptist Church and the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church of Columbia
started funds for an all black school. They bought Lot 309 on the southeast
corner of Third and Ash Street for twenty dollars, but they were unsatisfied
with each other so they terminated the venture.
The
Methodist Church opened their own school during the school year of 1865-66. This
lasted for only one year. The Baptist school was organized and run in 1866 in
the home of John Lang, Sr. The Baptists raised $1000, and with the help of
William Switzler and the Freedman's Bureau, another $800 was given to help build
a two-story building on Lot 309. Charles E. Cummings was the principal from
1867-1876. The school was named Cummings Academy and was recognized as the
official school for the black children. The school received state and local tax
money and became part of the Columbia School District when the district was
organized in 1872. In 1867, there were 63 students, and by 1870 there were 100
students. Miss Anna Jackson assisted by teaching English, grammar, and
geography, just as they were in the white schools. At the end of the school
year, students were given examinations to take. A vocal music program closed out
the school year. William F Switzler, editor of the Columbia Missouri Statesman,
saw the 1869 commencement and wrote that the Cummings Academy was one of the
best in the state.
The
number of children enrolled increased each year. By 1879, the enrollment had
doubled since the school opened twelve years earlier. The school board
authorized a one-room addition to the school and hired a third teacher for the
more than 200 pupils.
In
1884, the school board approved a $5000 loan to build a new school. A lot was
purchased on the northeast corner of Park Avenue and Providence Road. In the
summer of 1885, a two-story brick building was built for the 291 pupils in the
fall. The name was changed from Cummings Academy to Excelsior School. In 1898,
the name was changed again. This time it became Frederick Douglass School in
honor of the run-away slave who became a leading abolitionist speaker. Mainly,
ministers taught classes. The pay between the white teachers and black teachers
was quite different. The black teachers received about half of what the white
teacher got.
On
May 23, 1899, the school board approved having steam heat installed at Douglass
School.
There
was no official date for the beginning of the high school, but it is believed to
be around 1887. During the1898-99 school year, there were 46 students in the
high school. One teacher, H. A. Clark, taught all the classes. Diplomas were
accepted for admission to Lincoln Institute in Jefferson City, Smith College in
Sedalia, and Western College in Macon.
At
this time, Booker T. Washington at the Tuskegee Institute believed black
children should be given vocational training. The Columbia schools began this
type of program in 1901. They offered manual training, home economics, art,
music and sewing and cooking classes.
H.
A. Clark became principal in 1898 for three years. He expanded courses for
students who wanted to go to Lincoln and added vocational classes. Many people
did not believe in vocational training because they felt black schools would not
be equal to the white ones if they taught something other than basic, literacy
classes. Clark was accused of being drunk at school and making immoral and
indecent proposals to a young girl. After a school board and grand jury hearing,
the charges were dismissed. However, they demoted him to teacher and his wife
became principal. She served for one year. They resigned in 1902 and left
Columbia.
On
May 2, 1916, Columbia voters approved constructing a new building for Douglass
to replace the 1885 building. It was to be a two-story building with fifteen
rooms and a library.
The
Douglass program became a three-year high school program in 1903. A third
teacher was hired in 1911 and special domestic science and manual training
classes were added in 1913. Students sold the items they made to help finance
these classes.
Under
Principal J. E. Jones, athletic competition was added--the first football team
was organized. They also added musical groups, a newspaper, a yearbook and other
clubs. An auditorium/gymnasium was added in 1927 to the south part of the
building to allow athletic activity inside. Also, two classrooms and a shop were
added with the furniture built by the students. They built all the tables,
chairs, desks and lockers for the school. A fourth year was added to the high
school, and it earned a first-class rating from the state for its high school
academic program. During 1927, a junior high school division was established at
Douglass. January 2, 1927 began seven nights of activities to celebrate the new
addition. The Board of Education provided a new athletic field for Douglass on a
three-acre lot at McBaine and Oak Street.
In
1924, it was recommended that Douglass operate on a six-six organizational
structure rather than having a separate junior and senior high school. However,
the school continued to operate as a six-year elementary, two-year junior high
and four-year high school for quite some time.
Douglass
High School applied for accreditation from the North Central Association of
Colleges and Secondary Schools in October 1928. They were approved in 1935 as a
four-year high school with 131 students. In 1939, Douglass High School was
accredited as a six-year program, which continued until 1960 when it became a
three-year program for one year.
The
1940 Douglass High School football team, coached by Roy Wood, won the state
championship and the basketball team won seventeen of its eighteen games to
place third in the state. A student government, under Roland L. Wiggins,
operated to give students a role in the operation of the school so the student
would be "living his life while he is in school" (R. Gafke, p. 62).
The Douglass lunch program began in the fall of 1940. It was prepared at
Ridgeway Elementary and trucked to Douglass. Originally, the Columbia lunch
program was started for poor students, but by 1940 any student could purchase
lunch for ten cents.
Special
Education classes were added in 1958 to Douglass and were taught by Vivian Ray.
On
May 17, 1954, the Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka banned segregated
schools. The Columbia schools declared Douglass as one of their seven elementary
schools. The senior high and junior high students had the option to go to
Jefferson Junior High or Hickman High School. Douglass elementary students could
choose to go to a school of their choice if they wished. This allowed freedom of
choice for black parents. White children were not sent to Douglass. The school
board phased out upper level classes of science, math, and foreign language so
students had to transfer to Hickman High School. At the end of the1959-60 school
year, the high school was completely eliminated. This increased the number of
black students at Hickman from 20 to 113 in the 1960-61 school year. Raymond
Hayes was the first black student athlete at Hickman High School. He played
junior varsity basketball in 1958-59 and received a school letter for varsity
football in 1960. Charles Allen ran track in 1960-61 and was a captain the next
year. Mike Richardson was the first multi-sport black star athlete in football,
basketball and track. By 1961-62, twelve black students were playing on an
athletic team. Tony Edwards became the first black student elected to a
school-wide office (vice president) in 1969. Celestine Guyton (1960) was the
first black student to achieve community-wide recognition for her achievements
at Hickman High School. Her achievements helped break down the tendency to
stereotype a black student.
On
May 7, 1962, the Board closed the Douglass junior high program sending students
to Jefferson Junior High or the new West Junior High. The Board agreed not to
discharge any black teachers. Eliot Battle went to Hickman High in guidance,
Mrs. Muriel Battle taught Social Studies and Geography at West Junior, Mrs. Ruth
Wiggins went to Hickman High School to teach English, and George Brooks went to
Jefferson Junior High to teach PE and Math. Mrs. Wiggins will celebrate her 90th
birthday in May of 1997 and is still able to tell about her experiences at
Douglass.
It
was decided that the elementary students would be moved to other schools for the
1967 school year. This was supported by a poll where 95% of the black parents
wanted their children moved. Because the Board consulted committees of both
black and white parents and the slow process of integration (13 years), there
was no racial violence as seen in other parts of the country. This does not mean
there weren't problems. Many of the students transferred to Hickman High found
it extremely difficult. They felt they weren't prepared academically or socially
for the transfer. Some students felt they weren't given the opportunity to
participate in school activities and that class work was much harder than at
Douglass. Classroom order and discipline standards for black elementary children
became a problem in the beginning.
After
closing out the junior and senior high programs, the district moved their
practical nursing program to the Douglass Building along with a physical therapy
program and an electronics class from Hickman.
Eliot
Battle set up an alternative program at the Douglass Building during the 1967-68
school year called the Continuing Education Program. It was for students with
special needs (pregnant girls, suspensions, etc.) This included junior and
senior high students. The size grew through the years and the program was
expanded to provide for students who chose not to participate in the regular
school program.
John
Kelly became coordinator of the program in 1970, and by 1973-74 school year,
there were 4 full time staff and 125 students. Some students attended for short
periods of time while serving a suspension while others were dropouts working
toward a high school diploma. In 1974, fifteen students completed graduation
requirements. Originally, the program gave a second chance for pregnant girls,
as they were required by policy to drop out of school. This changed in 1972 when
they were no longer required to drop out.
The
Secondary Learning Center was located in a remodeled old church on North 8th
Street. The first floor area (the entire school) was the size of the cafeteria
in the Douglass Building. Temporary partition walls divided the area into six or
seven "classrooms.” Since originally the Secondary Learning Center was a
"detention school,” students were not happy about being sent there.
Students had no schedule and were assigned one seat for the day. Everyone did
independent study. At the end of the semester, all students would return to
their sending school. There was no school spirit or pride.
In
1982, Tim Travers was hired as principal of Secondary Learning Center. He had a
vision for the school: "an independent high school where teachers cater to
students who do not do well in traditional classes" (Columbia Daily
Tribune, Nov. 6, 1992). Travers and his staff designed a program which used
different learning styles and developed individual programs that focused on
certain outcomes such as effective communication, problem solving and team work
(Columbia Daily Tribune, Nov. 6, 1992). Students would apply or be referred by a
counselor or a teacher and then must be accepted in order to attend.
Secondary
Learning Center was moved to the Douglass Building in the fall of 1985. With
their own building and more space, school spirit and pride began to grow. The
Mustang was chosen as a school mascot in December of 1986. It was chosen because
it is spirited, strong-willed and independent--characteristics of many of the
SLC students. The 1987-88 school year marked the 20th anniversary of the
program. SLC was selected by the district as a model program in the Columbia
Public Schools. A report was written and sent to governors of all 50 states.
On
March 23, 1989, then Governor John Ashcroft visited SLC. He gave a brief speech
on education and dropouts and recognized SLC as an innovative program working on
these problems.
Also
in 1989, a daycare was started due to the efforts of two SLC student/mothers.
They noticed many girls dropped out after having babies because of lack of
daycare. They did a survey and contacted the school board for support. Mr.
Travers applied and received a grant to start a daycare, which continues today.
A
ceremony for the new Partner in Education was held on September 26, 1989. The
highlight was Mr. Jack Waters (Tribune) rapping a poem he wrote about the
partnership. The first scholarship was given to a SLC student in the spring of
1990. Mike Gelder received the Tribune/SLC Scholarship. He attended and
completed a vocational school in Wyoming and has been employed in the automotive
technology field since.
November
6, 1992 was a red-letter day for the school! The Columbia School Board approved
a name change from Secondary Learning Center (SLC) back to Frederick Douglass
High School. However, diplomas would not be issued until spring, 1995. A bust of
Frederick Douglass was unveiled, and the name officially changed at a dedication
ceremony on May 10, 1993. Once again, Douglass became an official, accredited
high school! The Bulldog was selected as the mascot, just as it had been some
thirty years ago.
Donations
by the Fred and Dorothy Heinkel Charitable Foundation and Boone County Community
Trust enabled Douglass High School to purchase their own small bus for field
trips. A dedication ceremony was held April 28, 1995. The
first prom since 1960 was held in the gym on May 19, 1995. Joe McCarty and
Tylisha Johnson were crowned king and queen. June
2, 1995 was the first official graduation since becoming an accredited high
school. Twenty-two students graduated in their royal blue gowns and blue and
white tassels. Six scholarships were given. It was quite a celebration.
Progress
still continues at Douglass High School. Satellite programs have been created at
the Columbia Tribune in 1994 (Project Print and industry based). In 1995-96
Missouri Book Services in cooperation with Schnucks started a working deli from
scratch, which serves all the MBS employees on a daily basis. The students
selected the name "Between the Pages,” for the deli, and a grand opening
was held on January 8, 1996. In addition, there is an industry-based program at
Missouri Book Services. Another Partner joined Douglass in 1995-96: The Job
Center. Missouri Cotton Exchange (1997-98) helps with our screen-printing
program.
C.
E. CUMMINGS (1867-1879)
F. H. LAWTHER (1879-1880)
JOHN M. FISCHER (1880-1881)
GEORGE B. VIVION (1885-1887)
A. B. MOORE (1887-1898)
L. J. HICKS (1898-1898)
H. A. CLARK (1898-1901)
MRS. H. A. CLARK (1901-1902)
J. B. COLEMAN (1902-1910)
H. L. COX (1910-1916)
J. E. JONES (1916-1924)
GEORGE S. RAFFIN (1924-1926)
MILTON A. MAY (1926-1926)
ELMER HUBBARD (1926-1927)
L. H. BRYANT (1927-1930)
J. Z. MOSELY (1930-1931)
BLAKE E. MOORE (1931-1941)
LAURENCE P. WILSON (1941-1942)
LELAND G. SMITH (1942-1943)
LAURENCE P. WILSON (1943-1945)
WILLIAM W. WYNN (1945-1951)
CLARENCE B. WALKER (1951-1965)
ROBERT LINCOLN (1965-1967)
ELIOT
BATTLE
CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM
DOUGLASS
BUILDING (1967-1970)
JOHN
KELLY
CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM
NORTH EIGHTH STREET LOCATION (1970-1982)
TIM
TRAVERS
SECONDARY LEARNING CENTER
NORTH EIGHTH STREET LOCATION (1982-1985)
SECONDARY
LEARNING CENTER
DOUGLASS BUILDING (1985-1993)
DOUGLASS
HIGH SCHOOL
DOUGLASS BUILDING (1993-1998)
BRIAN
GAUB
DOUGLASS HIGH SCHOOL
DOUGLASS BUILDING (1998-PRESENT)
Written by Aaron Walbrecht
Douglass High School Graduate