Brumfield High School

Brumfield High School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Mississippi Landmark No. 001-NAT-0968-NR-ML[2]
Brumfield High School building (2019)
Location	100 St. Catherine Street, Natchez, Adams County, Mississippi, U.S.
Coordinates	31.557382°N 91.392528°W / 31.557382; -91.392528
Built	1925
Architect	William Steintenroth
NRHP reference No.	93001139[1]
USMS No.	001-NAT-0968-NR-ML[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 21, 1993
Designated USMS	January 7, 1993

Brumfield High School, formerly G. W. Brumfield School, was a segregated public high school for African American students built in 1925 and closed in 1990; located in Natchez, Mississippi.[1]

It has been listed as a Mississippi Landmark since January 7, 1993;[2] and as a National Register of Historic Place for architecture, education, and cultural heritage since October 21, 1993.[1]

History

The first African American public school in the city of Natchez was Union School, built in 1871.[1][3] However Union School (K-12 public school) only had 13 rooms and could not accommodate the demand.[3] By 1925, Brumfield High School was opened to alleviate the overcrowding issues.[3] Natchez High School (at 64 Homochitto Street, a former location) was built a few years after Brumfield School in 1927, and was specifically designed as a public high school for white students-only.[1]

The Brumfield High School was a two-story brick brick building designed by architect William Steintenroth in a Classical Revival style.[1][4] The school namesake was George Washington Brumfield (1866–1927) who had taught classes at the Union School and served as a principal, after his arrival to Natchez in the 1890s.[1][5][6] Brumfield was also the Sunday school teacher at Zion Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church (Zion Chapel AME Church), located near the campus.[1] In 1935, the graduating class was 40 students.[7]

In 1970, Brumfield School remained racially segregated at the classroom-level, with white students and white teachers in one room versus black students with a black teachers in another.[8] The school was closed in 1990, and the city invested one million dollars into converting the former school campus into apartments for welfare recipients, the Brumfield School Apartments.[9][10]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Adams County, Mississippi
• History of Natchez, Mississippi
• Natchez Junior College, historically black college opened in 1884
• Rhythm Club fire, 1940 event that occurred near Brumfield School
• Murder of Wharlest Jackson, a Natchez event in 1967

References

1. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Brumfield High School". National Park Service. Retrieved January 10, 2023. With accompanying pictures
2. "Mississippi Landmarks" (PDF). Mississippi Department of Archives and History. May 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 9, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
3. "Abandoned High School in Mississippi". Historic Structures. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
4. "Brumfield High School". NPGallery Digital Asset Management System.
5. "Board of Aldermen". Natchez Democrat. June 7, 1902. p. 6. Retrieved January 11, 2023. G. W. Brumfield, principal
6. "Natchez to Have New High School". Clarion-Ledger. January 19, 1928. p. 2. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
7. "Brumfield School Has Graduation". Clarion-Ledger. June 2, 1935. p. 12. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
8. "Natchez Black Leaders Score School Plan". The Los Angeles Times. January 18, 1970. p. 82. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
9. "City becomes model of urban renewal". Clarion-Ledger. July 9, 1995. p. 33. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
10. "Three Towns Most Livable". The Clarksdale Press Register. June 29, 1995. p. 5. Retrieved January 11, 2023.

External links

Media related to Brumfield High School (Natchez, Mississippi) at Wikimedia Commons