Marion Colored High School

Marion Colored High School
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Arkansas Show map of Arkansas Location in United States Show map of the United States
Location	W of AR 77 Sunset, Crittenden County, Arkansas, U.S.
Coordinates	35°13′17″N 90°12′5″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1937 (1937)
MPS	Ethnic and Racial Minority Settlement of the Arkansas Delta MPS
NRHP reference No.	95000349[1]
Added to NRHP	March 23, 1995

The Marion Colored High School, also known as the Phelix School,[2][3] is a former segregated public school, and a historic school building located at the northwest corner of Arkansas Highway 77 and Gannt Street in Sunset, Arkansas, United States.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1995.[1][4]

History

It is a single-story brick structure, roughly in an H shape, with hipped roofs on the wings. The oldest portion of the building, a U-shaped section, was built in 1924 with funding from the Rosenwald Fund, and was extended to its present shape sometime before 1940. The original construction is of load-bearing brick, while the added wings are frame construction finished in a matching brick veneer.

Phelix School, formerly Marion Colored High School

It was the first school built for African-American students in the area,[5] originally serving grades 1st through 8th. In its early history students would come from other states to attend this school, such as Tennessee, Mississippi, and Missouri.[5] In 1937 the school acquired high school status, and served students from four states in the region, prompting its enlargement.

The school was renamed the James Sebastian Phelix School (or J. S. Phelix School) after local mason and undertaker James Sebastian Phelix's death.[3] In 1955 it was remodeled for use exclusively as a high school. It is now closed, and only used for special events.[2]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Crittenden County, Arkansas

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "NRHP nomination for Marion Colored High School". Arkansas Preservation. National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
3. "Phelix School story is intriguing chapter of local history". Marion School District. April 29, 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
4. "Marion Colored High School". National Register of Historic Places, Digital Archive on NPGallery.
5. Agee, Gary B. (2011-12-01). A Cry for Justice: Daniel Rudd and His Life in Black Catholicism, Journalism, and Activism, 1854-1933. University of Arkansas Press. pp. 186–187. ISBN 978-1-61075-491-0.