Gibson County Training School - Milan, Gibson County, Tennessee - Tennessee Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The historic Training school for Negroes was constructed in 1926 with $2,500 required donations from the Milan Negro citizens, $16,000 of public school funds, and $1,500 from the Julius Rosenwald Fund. Tuskegee Institute Principal Booker T. Washington and Philanthropist Julius Rosenwald had partnered to help build public schools for southern Negro students. The building was a six teacher Rosenwald Fund plan with four large classrooms, office, industrial training room, and auditorium with bathrooms for grades 1-10. The 11th grade was added in 1928 and 12th grade in 1929. Gibson County Training School's first graduating class in May 1930 had Negro students from Milan and surrounding towns. Additions to the original building included; North wing in 1942, 1953, and by 1961; South wing 1942 and 1958; gymnasium 1951; 1955; building trades room 1960; band room 1964; and southeast wing in 1967 including a 15 acre parcel. Gibson County Training School was renamed Polk - Clark High School in 1961 and the last high school graduation was in May 1970. From August 1970 - February 1996, Polk - Clark School housed all Milan K - 2 elementary students. The GCTS / Polk - Clark High School Alumni Association, Inc. (chartered in October 1995) represents all former educators, students, graduates, and their heirs. On August 2, 1996, the Milan City Board Deeded the building and land to the GCTS / PCHS Alumni Association, Inc. The Association charted The Milan Polk - Clark Enrichment Center on April 1, 1998. On March 12, 2012, Gibson County Training School was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by The National Park Service of the U. S. Department of Interior.

Marker Name: Gibson County Training School Marker Location: City Type of Marker: Building Marker Number: None Group(s) Responsible for placing Marker: Gibson County Training School / Polk - Clark High School Alumni Association "Trailblazers"

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