Mays Lick in Mason County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

May's Lick Negro School

1920

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 18, 2019

1. May's Lick Negro School Marker

Inscription. Placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior The school is the only surviving Rosenwald school of its type in northern Kentucky and was the first consolidated Negro school for Mason County.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. In addition, it is included in the Rosenwald Schools series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1920.

Location. 38° 31.085′ N, 83° 50.309′ W. Marker is in Mays Lick, Kentucky, in Mason County. It is at the intersection of Parker Lane and Raymond Road (Kentucky Route 324), on the left when traveling north on Parker Lane. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mayslick KY 41055, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Kentucky’s Outer Bluegrass. It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Ohio River Valley.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Second Baptist May's Lick (within shouting distance of this marker); Presbyterian Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Childhood Home of Dr. Drake (approx. 0.2 miles away); Disciples of Christ (approx. ¼ mile away); Morgan's Last Raid (approx. 0.7 miles away); Charles Young Birthplace (approx. 2.4 miles away); a different marker also named

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Morgan’s Last Raid (approx. 4.7 miles away); a different marker also named Morgan’s Last Raid (approx. 5.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mays Lick.

Regarding May's Lick Negro School. Excerpt from the National Register nomination:

In Mason County, in 1904 there were 13 small schools for black children. In early 1916, the Mason County Board of Education proposed construction of a consolidated school in May’s Lick. Citizens there decided they wanted a better building than what the Board of Education was proposing. In November 1916, those citizens organized a corporation known as the May’s Lick Health and Welfare Company, with an authorized capital stock of $4,000.00. A lot east of Second Baptist Church was purchased on June 16, 1919 from William H. Worthington for the sum of fourteen Hundred Dollars.

The Board of Education agreed to pay $2500.00 toward the erection of the school, and the State Trust Company and the State National Bank of Maysville agreed to bond the property. On October 10, 1920, members of the Masonic Lodge of Maysville laid the cornerstone to Mays Lick Negro School. Dedication services were held July 17, 1921 and the first classes began in September.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 4, 2023

2. May's Lick Negro School Marker
It served children in the May’s Lick, Helena, Wedonia, and Lewisburg Districts. The school cost $17,650.00 to build – $10,800.00 from citizens, $5,650.00 from public funds and $1200.00 from the Rosenwald Foundation.

Also see . . . Mays Lick Negro School (PDF). National Register nomination for the former school, which was listed in 2018. (National Park Service) (Submitted on March 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 565 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 12, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.