Bartow in Polk County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Union Academy High School

1897-1969

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, November 6, 2019

1. Union Academy High School Marker Side 1

Inscription. Side 1
Union Academy was the fulfillment of the dream of local African American pioneers seeking to advance the moral and cultural welfare of young people through education. By the 1870s, west Bartow's First Providence Missionary Baptist Church hosted the first dedicated school for African American children. The school site was named Brittsville, and by 1887, the City of Bartow funded their school house. Two schools, Mrs. J.A. Wiley's Colored Institute (1887-1890), which also trained teachers, and the first public school, Bartow Colored School (1892-1896), followed in succession with the Brittsville School. The Brittsville School was closed in 1895, uniting representatives of the Baptist, African Methodist Episcopal, and African Methodist Episcopal Zion churches to petition the City of Bartow for a new school. The request was approved, and Bishop Thomas Lomax of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church donated property on 5th Avenue for the new building. Coupled with a two-day citywide celebration, Union Academy's corner stone was laid on August 19, 1897. The first day of instruction was September 14, 1897. The school

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consisted of four classrooms, and boasted an enrollment of 120 students. (Continued on other side) Side 2
(Continued from other side) Union Academy was named after an African American school in Gainesville, Florida, founded in 1867 by the Freedman's Bureau. In 1907, under the leadership of Principal Charles E. Murray, the school reached junior high school status. In 1923, the school added a secondary department, bringing it to high school status. The first high school graduate was Lela Burkett, also honored as Polk County's first graduating African American, on June 4, 1928. Union Academy qualified for, and received, a Rosenwald grant. The grant, coupled with local funds, insured that a new modern facility was ready for commencement in 1929, on a site purchased from Jack Longworth. In 1948, Brittsville Elementary was consolidated with Union Academy, and barracks from the recently closed Bartow Army Airfield were used as classrooms. New high school and primary buildings were added in 1955. The 1964 Civil Rights Act mandated desegregation in public schools, and by the fall of 1969, all high school students from Union Academy were

Union Academy High School Marker Side 2 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, November 6, 2019

2. Union Academy High School Marker Side 2

transferred to Summerlin Institute. The amalgamation created Bartow High School. Principals of Union Academy: Rev. Andrew N. Richie, Rev. Ben F. Childs, Charles E. Murray, Lawrence C. Jones, W.M. Davies, Samuel P. Robinson, N.M. Christopher, S. Meredith Mosely, James E. Stephens. Mascot - Bengal Tiger.

Erected 2019 by Polk County Historical Commission and Union Academy High School Alumni Association, Bartow, Florida. (Marker Number PCHC-026.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) Church series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is September 14, 1897.

Location. 27° 53.587′ N, 81° 49.29′ W. Marker is in Bartow, Florida, in Polk County. It is on East Wabash Street west of Oaklawn Drive, on the right when traveling east. School is now the Union Academy Middle Magnet School. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1795 East Wabash Street, Bartow FL 33830, United States of America.

Union Academy High School and Marker looking west image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, November 6, 2019

3. Union Academy High School and Marker looking west

Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Florida.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Memorial for Austin C. Welch (approx. 0.7 miles away); Historic L. B. Brown House (approx. 0.8 miles away); Swearingen - Langford House (approx. 1.1 miles away); First Baptist Church of Bartow (approx. 1.2 miles away); The City of Bartow (approx. 1.3 miles away); Old Polk County Courthouse (approx. 1.3 miles away); Site of Fort Blount (approx. 1.4 miles away); Mann Manor (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bartow.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Co E 7th Florida Inf Regt South Florida Bulldogs (was approx. 1.3 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

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Also see . . . Union Academy Middle Magnet School. Polk County Public Schools (Submitted on March 10, 2020.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 16, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 7, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,005 times since then and 113 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 7, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.