Old Howard Academy

Old Howard Academy
Howard Academy Building 1
Location835 Mamie Scott Drive, Monticello, Florida, U.S.
Coordinates30°33′06″N 83°51′53″W / 30.55167°N 83.86472°W / 30.55167; -83.86472 (Old Howard Academy)[2]
Area1.44 acres (0.58 ha)
MPSFlorida's Historic Black Public Schools MPS
NRHP reference No.100006751[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 19, 2021

Old Howard Academy is a historic site and former school for Black students in Monticello, Florida.[3] It was located at 665 East Chestnut Street, now 835 Mamie Scott Drive.[4] It was operated by the Jeanes Fund from 1936 until 1960.[5] It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since July 19, 2021; and a historical marker commemorates the schools' history.[6][7]

History

22 acres (8.9 ha) of land for the original Howard Academy school was donated by Etta and Dess Sneed, a local family.[8] The Old Howard Academy consists of an original one-story wood frame building completed in 1936, and a second wood frame building added in 1940 for high school students.

In 1957 a new elementary school and junior high were built on second street and in 1960 a new high school for black students was added, eventually named Howard Academy.[5][9] Schools in Monticello were integrated in 1967.[5]

Legacy and recent history

In 2025, a local non-profit proposed a horse facility on the property. Descendants of the family who donated had the land to the county for use as a school objected, and pointed to stipulations in the original agreement.[8]

In October 2021, Florida Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee announced the school buildings being added the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places. The buildings had been vacant and awaited funds for restoration.[10]

Mamie Scott, the namesake of the street, was the supervisor of the Jeanes Fund in Jefferson County, Florida.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. June 24, 2025.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. August 28, 2024.
  3. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Old Howard Academy". National Park Service. Retrieved January 18, 2026. With accompanying pictures
  4. ^ State Library and Archives of Florida. "Florida Memory • Howard Academy High School - Monticello, Florida". Florida Memory. Archived from the original on 2015-09-21. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  5. ^ a b c d "Old Howard Academy". Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State. Archived from the original on 2025-11-26. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  6. ^ Taylor, George (June 5, 2016). "Howard Academy Elementary and Junior High School Marker, Monticello, FL". George Lansing Taylor Collection Main Gallery. Archived from the original on August 13, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  7. ^ "Howard Academy High School on Chestnut Street Historical Marker". Historical Marker Database (HMDB). Archived from the original on 2020-10-19. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  8. ^ a b Chaney, Lentheus (May 15, 2025). "Monticello land dispute raises questions about historic promises and community needs". WTXL ABC 27 Tallahassee News. Archived from the original on October 15, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  9. ^ Nissley, Lina (July 2020). "A local landmark: Howard Academy". ECB Publishing. Archived from the original on 2024-11-30. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  10. ^ "Secretary Lee Announces the Designation of Monticello's Old Howard Academy in the National Register of Historic Places". Florida Department of State. Archived from the original on 2025-11-26. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.