Montgomery Industrial School for Girls facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Montgomery Industrial School for Girls |
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The school in 1917
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| Location | |
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Union Street, Montgomery, Alabama, United States
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| Information | |
| Type | Private, Primary, Same-sex, Segregated |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Christianity |
| Established | 1886 |
| Founder | Alice White |
| Closed | 1928 |
| Dean | Alice White |
| Grades | K-8 |
The Montgomery Industrial School for Girls was a special private school in Montgomery, Alabama. It was started in 1886 by two women named Alice White and H. Margaret Beard. They were white reformers from the Northeast. The school's main goal was to teach strong Christian values and useful job skills. It also offered regular school subjects for black girls from kindergarten to eighth grade. This school was very important. It helped shape many women who later became leaders in the Civil Rights Movement in Montgomery and across the United States.
Contents
The School's Beginning and Purpose
Alice White and H. Margaret Beard founded the school. They were connected to the American Missionary Association. This group was mostly made up of Congregationalists. Before the American Civil War, they worked to end slavery. After the war, they supported education for black people in the South.
White and Beard had worked at a similar school in Georgia. But that school burned down in 1885. They then moved to Montgomery in 1886. Alice White managed the new school, and H. Margaret Beard was a teacher. The school was located at what is now 515 Union Street.
Daily Life and Learning at School
The school had very clear rules. Students had to wear school uniforms. They were also encouraged not to wear jewelry or makeup. Even hair straighteners were discouraged. Every day, students attended devotional services. These services also included talks about treating all races equally.
The classes taught both academic subjects and practical skills. The goal was to help girls become self-sufficient. This idea was similar to what Booker T. Washington also taught. The school quickly gained a good reputation among the local African-American community.
Facing Challenges and Finding Support
Even though the school was popular with black families, local white people often avoided Alice White and her staff. White and her teachers lived quietly in a dormitory next to the school. But they found comfort and friendship within the local black community.
Despite strict rules about racial separation in Montgomery, black churches often invited White and her staff to their services. Parents of students also invited the teachers to their homes for dinner. During summer breaks, the teachers returned to their homes in the North. This gave them a break from the dislike they faced in Montgomery.
Rosa Parks' Time at the School
Rosa Parks attended the school starting in 1924. At first, her mother paid for her tuition. Later, Rosa became a work-study student. This meant she cleaned two classrooms each day to pay for her schooling. Rosa was already a very religious child. Her friend, Johnnie Carr, later said that the Christian education at the school made Rosa "a straight Christian arrow." This shows how much the school influenced her strong character.
How the School Was Funded and Its End
The school received money from small tuition fees. It also got donations from generous people and foundations. The school did very well for many years. In 1916, it had ten teachers and 325 students. A report from 1917 noted that the school was well-managed. It also said that students attended regularly and the teachers were very good. All the teachers were white women.
The school had two buildings near the state capitol. One was a simple two-story school building. The other was an old house that had been fixed up for the teachers to live in. The school closed in 1928. Alice White was getting too old to run it. No one else had her strong dedication or was willing to face the challenges from local white people.
The school building burned down twice, once in 1923. The building that replaced it was later taken over by Montgomery Public Schools in 1927. It became Booker T. Washington Elementary School. Later, it was used by Booker T. Washington Magnet High School.
