In honor of Black History Month, Special Collections is featuring some of the collections that document and preserve the experiences of Black elementary and high school students during the Jim Crow Era of segregation through the civil rights movement.
Allen High School Records
The Allen High School Records (AC-278) include student records, photographs, yearbooks, oral histories, and memorabilia of the Allen School, which was located in Asheville, North Carolina. The school was open from 1887 - 1974 and exclusively served Black children. In the 1940s it became an all-girls boarding school. Known for its high academic standards, many graduates went on to pursue higher education. Notably, Nina Simone was a graduate of Allen High School and was the valedictorian of her graduating class in 1950.
Image of Allen High School students at the Library, Clothing Room, and Typing Room from 1958-1959. AC -278 - Box 2, Folder 3.
“Preserving and Sharing the Story of the Lincoln Heights Rosenwald School” Digital Collection
In 2017 the App State History Department collaborated with University Libraries’ Digital Scholarship & Initiatives team to digitize materials from the Lincoln Heights School, which was open from 1924 - 1968 and was one of about 5,000 Rosenwald schools, which were established in the early 20th century in order to educate Black children in the South. The project was sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant, in collaboration with the Lincoln Heights Lincoln Heights Recreation Corporation (LHRC). Over one hundred artificats provided by the school and alumni were digitized. You can view the “Preserving and Sharing the Story of the Lincoln Heights Rosenwald School” Digital Collection here.
Lincoln Heights School - May Day, 1939. The image above shows five girls in identical dresses and hats pose for a photo. Contributed by Susan Martin
Lincoln Heights School Class of 1952. The image above shows high school graduates posing for a group photo. Contributed by Wilton Mitchell.
Elizabeth Ann Parks Grinton Papers
Elizabeth Ann Parks Grinton (1916 - 2001) graduated from and later taught at Lincoln Heights School in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Throughout her life, she was a prominent advocate and leader for education in Wilkes County and was honored with many accolades, including the Presidential Service Award for Exemplary Volunteer Service from President Clinton in 1995. The Elizabeth Ann Parks Grinton Papers (AC-623) include her high school and college diplomas, job applications, volunteer efforts, reports, handwritten notes, student and teacher evaluations, and receipts.
For more information about the resources in the Special Collections Research Center, contact spcoll@appstate.edu or 828.262.4041.
Contributed by Veronica A. Wells, Outreach & Public Services Lecturer Librarian
Lincoln Heights School - May Day, 1939. The image above shows five girls in identical dresses and hats pose for a photo.
Lincoln Heights School - May Day, 1939. The image above shows five girls in identical dresses and hats pose for a photo