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Submitted: 9/19/14 • Approved: 9/19/14 • Last Updated: 9/22/14 • R1039588-G1039588-S3
Blackwell School, Blackwell, Conway County, Arkansas
The teacher is Inez Wroten Riggs
There were two schools established in the area. The school for white children was located on the south side of the railroad. The original school burned in 1916 but was soon replaced. The school for black students was located north of the railroad. Both schools went to the eighth grade, and students wanting further education had to ride the railroad’s mail car to Morrilton (Conway County) to attend classes there. It was common for these racially segregated schools to operate as entirely separate school districts. In 1931, both of the schools in Blackwell became a part of the new Morrilton Consolidated School District No. 32 that had both a black and a white high school. At a later date the schools were consolidated.
In this photo 27 children, all ages and one teacher.
Photo Courtesy of Jo Anne Vogan Holyfield
Jo Anne's Mother attended the Blackwell School and Mrs Riggs was her teacher in the one room school house. Mrs. Riggs rode a 3 wheeled bicycle around Conway and sold greeting cards. My Mother bought some cards from her. Thank you, Jo Anne for saving this part of the history of Blackwell, Conway County Arkansas.
Source: Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture
Conway County, Arkansas: Our Land, Our Home, Our People. Little Rock: Historical Publications of Arkansas, 1992 Larry Taylor
Contributed on 9/19/14
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Record #: 1039588