Wheatley Public School - Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Former Schools on Waymarking.com

"The first school in Poplar Bluff was established in 1869 by the "Butler County Education Society."1 This two-story frame building was succeeded by a new brick public school in 1875. By the early 20th century, the Poplar Bluff school system included the Central High School building which was built in 1891 and used as a junior high school, and the Mark Twain school which was built in 1910 as the primary high school. In addition to these schools there were also several elementary schools scattered throughout the city.

The north side of Main Street became the home to Poplar Bluffs working-class and middle-class African American community at the turn of the century. To meet the educational needs of these residents, the city constructed a one-room schoolhouse in 1901 at the present site of the Wheatley Public School. This school was renamed the "Wheatley School" in 1908, in honor of Phillis Wheatley (17537-1784), a well-known black poet who was born in Africa and brought to America as a slave. The school enrolled approximately two hundred black students by 1907, and continued to grow in the early twentieth century. In 1928, the need for a larger, replacement school was acknowledged and the present Wheatley Public School was constructed.

The new Wheatley Public School was designed by the architectural firm of Bonsack & Pearce, Inc., and the building contractor was J.J. Miller. This building, which served grades one through twelve, boasted a library, eight classrooms, and one of the best gymnasiums in southeast Missouri. The building was designed in the Colonial Revival style which was popular for school building during this period. This style emphasized symmetrical plans and utilized classical detailing such as quoins, arches, and classical pilasters and columns. The influence of this style was expressed in the Wheatley Public School through its corner brick quoins, window lintels with keystones, and dentilled cornices over the entrances. The Wheatley Public School is representative, but not an outstanding example of, Colonial Revival architecture...

From 1928 to 1958, the Wheatley Public School was one of the centers of the African American community. It was the only school which housed African American students and the building was also used for social gatherings, theatrical productions, and other community services. The school gained statewide recognition in 1938 when it won the state basketball championship in Jefferson City. In 1939, Poplar Bluff contained five public grade schools (including the Wheatley School), a senior high school (the Mark Twain School), and a junior high school (the Central High School). In this year the school system employed 81 teachers and were attended by 2,704 students.

The Wheatley Public School was considered one of the best schools for African Americans in Missouri in the 1950s and it boasted that all fourteen of its teachers had achieved at least their B.S. degree. In the early 1950s, a separate Industrial Building was constructed which housed industrial classes and a shop. This building was constructed facing Benton Street and due to its age is not included within the property boundary.

In 1954, however, the landmark Supreme Court case, Brown v. Topeka Board of Education, declared that segregated schools in America were "inherently unequal." Many school systems across the country began voluntary integration of public schools soon after, however, most places within the South waited until the 1960s to integrate. The City of Poplar Bluff reacted to the Supreme Court ruling by deciding to voluntarily integrate its public schools in 1957. The Class of 1957 was the last for graduating seniors at the school and in 1958 the Wheatley Public School and Poplar Bluff High School were integrated. However, the integration process was planned to affect only one grade at a time and desegregation was not fully achieved until the 1968-69 school year.

In 1967, the Wheatley Public School was damaged by a fire. The school was forced to close and the African American children attending Wheatley had to attend school in the city's other public schools. City officials decided the building was too damaged to repair and wanted it razed, however, the insurance company felt that the damage was not extensive enough to warrant its destruction. The insurance company's decision prevailed and the Wheatley Public School was repaired and ready for school in the fall of 1968.

Even after the school's integration, the Wheatley Public School was seen as a center of African American community in Poplar Bluff. Local black civic leaders were allowed access to die school and its gymnasium for community activities and sporting events. The school is located adjacent the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, a historic African American congregation founded in 1871, which was built in 1917. Although the school has been integrated since 1968, the local community continues to see the Wheatley Public School as a symbol of the local black community's heritage." - National Register Nomination

The school was later converted to an early childhood center and then in 2001 closed completely. The school grounds have been converted to a neighborhood park. The building has a black history museum on the second floor and community programs on the first floor.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Place in 1998.

Address: 921 Garfield St. Poplar Bluff, Missouri Web Site: [Web Link]

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