Topeka in Shawnee County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Sumner School Cornerstone
preserved by
P-T-A. & Past Patrons
of
Sumner School
Erected 1901 - Replaced 1936
Board of Education
W. H. Wilson, President F. E. Mallory Vice President.
J. F. Buck, J. W. Priddy,
E. Wilder, J. W. Gleed,
A. A. Rodgers, P. I. Bonebrake,
G. H. Mathews, W. G. Williams,
A. S. Emree, G. W. Dailey.
Cuthbert & Sargent Contracters H. M. Hadley Archt.
————————
This tree in memory
of
Mose J. Whitson
Teacher - Principal
1937 - 1941
Gift of Sumner Community
Erected 1936 by Sumner School PTA and Past Patrons.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. In addition, it is included in the National Historic Landmarks series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1901.
Location. 39° 3.475′ N, 95° 40.975′ W. Marker is in Topeka, Kansas, in Shawnee County. Marker is on SW Western Avenue south of SW 3rd Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 330 SW Western Avenue, Topeka KS 66606, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Blacksmith Shop (approx. 0.3 miles away); David Puff (approx. 0.4 miles away); Everest Methodist Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Potwin Drug Store (approx. 0.4 miles away); Ward-Meade Home (approx. 0.4 miles away); Ward-Meade Mansion (approx. 0.4 miles away); Barber Shop (approx. 0.4 miles away); Mulvane General Store (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Topeka.
Regarding Sumner School Cornerstone. Sumner and Monroe elementary schools are associated with the landmark 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, and are significant in the areas of law, politics, government, and social history. In this case, student Linda Brown was refused entrance into Sumner Elementary after attempting to transfer from Monroe Elementary because she was an African American. Her father, Reverend Oliver Brown, was the principal plaintiff in the case when the suit was filed in 1951. The distance of the Monroe Elementary School from Linda Brown's home and the proximity of the Sumner Elementary School to her home was the central reason Reverend Brown agreed to be a plaintiff in the case. The US Supreme Court concluded that "separate education facilities are inherently unequal," denying legal basis for segregation in 21 states with segregated class rooms.
Copied from the Kansas State Historic Preservation Office's National Register website.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. Sumner Elementary School National Register Nomination. (Submitted on May 4, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Sumner School National Historic Landmark Nomination Update. (Submitted on May 4, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. Sumner Grade School at Kansas Memory. (Submitted on May 4, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
4. Brown v Board of Education National Historic Site. (Submitted on May 4, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
5. Brown v Board of Education Supreme Court Decision. (Submitted on May 4, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 16, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 4, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 495 times since then and 12 times this year. Last updated on December 22, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 4, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.