African American Schools in Rowan County, KY

The colored schools in Rowan County, KY, seemed to come and go from the late 1800s to about 1930. As early as 1895, there was one colored school in Rowan County, KY, the school was taught for five months, according to the Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1895-97, pp.665-668. No more than 10 students attended the school on a regular basis. The teacher's average monthly pay was $24.39, 1895-96, and $19.44, 1896-97. By 1912, the colored school had closed and reopened with an enrollment of 10 students, 1911-12, and 8 students, 1912-13 [source: Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1911-12, p.4; and 1912-13, p.112]. In 1920, Beatrice Mance, a Kentucky native who was 19 years old, was the school teacher [source: U.S. Federal Census].  Mance was a boarder with the Luke and Lizzie France family in Morehead. The family was among the 21 Blacks and 2 Mulattoes listed in the 1920 census for Rowan County, with the France children as the only school age children between the ages of 5 and 18. Luke France worked at a mechanical shop, and both he and his wife could read and write. By 1925, no school was listed in the school directory.  In 1930, there was again one colored school in Rowan County and there was an enrollment of 9 students [source: Kentucky Public School Directory, p.89]. The teacher was Kentucky native, 20 year old Agatha Chennault who lived with the France family on Railroad Street in Morehead, according to the U.S. Federal Census. The following year, 1931, there was no longer a colored school listed for Rowan County in the school directories.The first school in Rowan County to be listed as integrated was the Breckinridge Training Schools in 1961 [source: Kentucky School Directory, 1961-62, p.889].

• Morehead School