The following information was compiled by Debie Oeser Cox in 2006.
Office
Board of Education
June
17, 1867
The
following is the determination of the Board in reference to Education the
colored children of the city.
The
City Council having impressed upon the Board of Education the duty of selecting
locations and providing suitable buildings for the accommodation of the colored
scholastic population of the city, in carrying out the determination already
arrived at by both the Board and the City Council, to bring the colored
children of the city under the provisions of the Existing City Laws relating to
the Public schools and the Education of our children, The Board of Education
have concluded and agreed that
1st
The proposition heretofore submitted for the sale to the city of the property
in North Nashville known as “Belle View” be accepted for school purposes, and
that the sale be consummated and the titled passed by the proper parties
without delay.
2 That
Messers Fall, Cotton & Weakley are hereby appointed a committee of this
Board to select proper buildings and negotiate for the rent or ___ of such as
they may deem necessary for the accommodation of colored pupils.
3 That publication be immediately made by the
Supt., for application of colored children who may desire to attend these
schools. And that the committee herein named shall provide school-room
sufficient for the comfortable accommodation of all who may be registered for
admission.
4 That the Supt. be requested to adopt such
measures as will most speedily secure the Enrollment of the colored scholastic
population in order that the Board and Committee may know the number of
Teachers, and the Extent of room necessary to be provided to carry out the
wishes of the city authorities and of this Board for the Education of the
colored children.
Friday
July 5th 1867
Board
of education met pursuant to adjournment.
All present bar Tarbox. The
special committee on colored school buildings was directed to investigate the
subject of purchasing lots adjacent to Belle View.
After full discussion of the questions arising out of
the subject of organizing the colored schools the Board adjourned till Monday
the 8th met at 8 am.
Monday
8th July 1867
Messers
T. W. Haley and T. H. Hamilton were elected Principals of the colored schools
at salaries of $150 per month, and their duties to begin at once, and continue
12 months.
The
Prest. was directed to advertise in the Public papers that colored children
Eligible to school privileges shall apply for tickets of admission for the next
ten weeks, after Wednesday July 10th at the office of the Board to
Profs. Haley and Hamilton.
The
Secry was directed to Enquire of all applicants for positions as teachers not
Elected of the will teach in the colored schools.
July
15, 1867
Board
met on the call of the President. All the
members were present. Measures were
discussed to diffuse more widely among the colored people information upon the
Subject of coming forward to register their children, and the Prest. directed
to have a circular and posters printed and circulated.
July
26, 1867
The Board
discussed at length the various points urged against the colored schools and
conferred with Genl. Carlin Messers McKee & Knight connected with the U. S.
Govt. & private Efforts to Educate Freedmen in our midst.
Genl.
Carlin asked for _____ information upon several points so that he might decide
whether to advise colored people to register their children in the schools.
A
special committee consisting of Messer Fall, Jones, Knowles & Tarbox was
directed to propose an answer to Genl. Carlin’s questions and report tomorrow
at 10 A. M.
July
27, 1867
The
special committee made a report which was adopted and the Sec. ordered the
following letter to Genl. Carlin in accordance therewith.
Office
Board of Education
July
27, 1867
To Maj. Genl Carlin
Asst. Com. Freedmans Bureau
usa Nashville Tenn
In
response to the Enquiries made of the Board of Education by yourself yesterday,
they have the honor to make the following answer. The Board of Education represents to Genl.
Carlin that it is the purpose of the City Authorities of Nashville to Extend to
the colored people of this City the advantages of a system of Free Public
Education in all respects the same as in now in successful operation for the
white children of the place.
To
secure uniformity in all particulars, the Board proposes to grade scholars and
Teachers in the same manner throughout schools, and to take from the Corps of
Teachers of whom they have Experience as successful instructors the ____ of the
schools and met then to organize the
colored schools Exactly as they have organized the white schools.
It is
their purpose to select Teachers for the colored schools from the list of
Applicants for positions in the white schools, Equal to those appointed to the
white schools, and Endeavor to Secure the same results in the same way from
both ____.
And
further they resolved that nothing of a ____ political or partisan nature, in social or
religious matters shall be inculcated in these schools; but that all the
subjects selected and taught shall be such as tend healthfully to develop the
minds and ____ of the pupils.
By
order of the Board
J.
M. Hoyte
Sec.
B of E.
The
time allotted to register colored children was extended to Sept 1st. The President having signified his intention
to be absent form the city for a month Mr. J. B. Knowles was chosen Prest. pro
tem.
Aug.
7, 1867
The
Secretary was directed to address Genl. Carlin and request from him the use of
the property knows as the gun factory in South Nashville for the purpose of
opening a colored school.
Aug.
26, 1867
Response
from Col. Palmer in regard to possession of gun factory refers the Board to the
Trustees of Central University as the same is in their possession.
Aug.
29, 1867
A communication
was received from Mr. James Ogden offering to cooperate with the Board of
Education, by taking a specified number of colored children and Educating them
at the Expense of the city.
The
secretary was directed to answer that the Board had no legal authority to
accept his proposal and that they were prepared to instruct all the colored
children who had registered.
Bill
of W. Freeman &c $119.40 for papering at Belleview school was ordered paid.
The
following persons were chosen teachers in the colored schools. Viz
Mr.
Eli Skipworth salary $600 per an
Mr. A. T. Clark “
600 “ “
Miss
Maria Calvert “ 550
“ “
Mr.
A. M. Nowland “ 650
“ “
Mr. Tunstan “ 550 “ “
Mr. Hancock “ 550 “ “
Monday
Sept. 2, 1867
The
following ____ of Teachers was made in the colored schools.
Lincoln
Hall
Mr.
Haley Principal
Mr.
Skipworth }
Miss
Gregory }
Miss
Calvert }assistants
Mrs.
Nowland }
Belleview School Mr. Hamilton Principal
Mr.
Hancock }
Mr.
Funstan }assistants
Mr.
Clark }
Sept.
4, 1867
The
committee on procuring lease on Lincoln Hall were directed to close the matter
on the best possible terms.
Sept.
19, 1867
____
that the city council be requested to appropriate $5000 for fitting up of the
colored school Building, and for the payment of salaries for September.
The
Annual Report of the Board of Education of the Public Schools of Nashville for
1871 lists two African-American Schools, Belleview and Trimble.
Belleview
School was located at 305 North Summer Street. The school was a two story brick
structure containing seven rooms and housed grades one through six. Average attendance was 280. Mr. G. W. Hubbard was the Principal and the
teachers were: Miss M. R. Smith, Miss
Kate Lyon, Mrs. S. A. Hubbard, Miss S. R. Austin, Mrs. L. P. Guyer, Mrs. M. F.
Lewis and Mrs. E. M. Robinson.
Trimble
School was in a two story brick building that was presented to the city by John
Trimble, Esq. and was located at 524 South Market Street. The average number of students attending was
137 in grades one through four.
The
names of over 50 traditional African-American schools were compiled by Debie Cox at the request of Delores Black-Kennedy Director of Nashville's, The Black Yellow Pages, Inc. Some of the schools were in existence for
only a few years and have long been forgotten.
Some of the old buildings are still in use by the school system. The Pearl High School building now houses
Martin Luther King Academic Magnet School and Meigs High School is now Meigs
Magnet Middle School.
The
name of the school and a location is given.
Bear in mind as you read, that the old records did not always give the
name of the road the school was actually located on, and instead gave the nearest turnpike or main road as
a location.
Ashcraft
School Crocker
and Herman Streets
Belleview
School (city) 5th Avenue near Jefferson
Belleview
School (county) Harding
Road
Briarville
School Near
Federal Cemetery, Gallatin Road
Brown's
School Charlotte
Pike
Bytown School Hillsboro
Road
Cameron
School 5th
Avenue S. and Demonbreun
Carter
School 12
Avenue S.
Cedar
Grove School Stewart Ferry Pike
Clifton
School 40th
Avenue N.
Cruzen
School McKinney
Street
Dry
Creek School Gallatin Road
Ensley School Nolensville Road
Evan's
Hill School Lebanon Pike
Federal
School Centennial
Blvd.
Flat
Rock School Nolensville
Pike
Ford
Greene School 26th Avenue N.
Goodlettsville
School Dickerson
Road
Granny
White Pike School Granny White Pike
Hadley
School Pearl
Street
Haynes School Trinity
Lane
Head
School Jo
Johnston
Jimtown School Elm Hill Pike
Knowles
School Grant
Lawrence
School South
Street near Kayne Avenue
McWhirtersville Lebanon
Road
Meigs High School Georgia
Street (now Ramsey St)
Merry
School Springhead
Street
Mt
Zeno School Elm Hill Pike
Mt.
Nebo School Murfreesboro Road
Mt.
Pisgah School Edmondson Road
Napier
School Robertson
Street
Neely's
Bend School Neely's Bend Road
Pasquo
School Harding
Road
Pearl
High School 17th Avenue N.
Peebles
School 15th
Ave. N.
Providence
School Nolensville
Pike
Rock
City School Cahal Avenue Area
Rock
Hill School Gatewood near Meridian
Rockvale
School Hobson
Road
Scotts
Hollow School Lebanon Road
Scruggs
Chapel School Couchville
Pike
Stateland
School Lebanon
Road
Trimble Bottom East Hill Street
Union
School Murfreesboro
Road
Washington
School 23rd
Avenue N.
