Lincoln High School

Lincoln High School. Soul Voices Frenchtown Heritage Trail. Not "Old Lincoln" or the "Original Lincoln" or "Historic Lincoln," just Lincoln! Lincoln High, Our Alma Mater, Dear to Us You'll Be. In Our Hearts We Will Always Cherish Memories of Thee. Lincoln was the jewel of the Frenchtown community. The school was founded in 1869 and closed a hundred years later in 1969. The institution was founded under a Florida law that required the establishment of schools for newly emancipated slaves. It was one of three schools in the state for Black people authorized by the Freedmen's Bureau., The school was established on Copeland Street as "Lincoln Academy," and later another school was constructed on land that became part of the Florida State College for Women. After fires destroyed portions of the building and amid controversy over the location of the school, Lincoln was relocated in 1906 to Brevard and Macomb Streets. The first building on that site was painted white, two-storied, and wooden. In 1929, as part of President Franklin Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration (WPA), two brick structures with two stories and basements were erected., The first African American principal was John Gilmore Riley. Prior to Principal Riley's appointment, the school was supervised by a White principal. In 1969, without input from citizens or alumni, the school was closed and nearly all of its history decimated or destroyed. The last principal of Lincoln was Freeman Delano Lawrence who, after the school's closing, was relegated to an administrative position at the Leon County School District Office. , , Lincoln was not only a stellar educational center for youth, but it also provided vocational education at night for veterans and other adults. Additionally, the building served as a vibrant community facility where activities for the entire family were often available. The closure of the school left a void that foretold the decline of Frenchtown and the surrounding communities., The school was adjacent to the historic Oakland Cemetery, where the deceased from both the African American and White communities were interred. The cemetery was the majority of ten acres that was sold to the city for burial plots; the remainder of the land was sold to the county for the construction of Lincoln School., Farther west as Brevard Street crossed Macomb Street lay Ashmore Drug Store, Tallahassee Furniture Store, Yates Appliances with Lincoln High School's band room above it, and Joe Nims's Meat Market., (captions) , Above: Lincoln High School, established in 1869 as one of three Freedmen's schools in the state of Florida, provided an outstanding education for Black students. Its original location was on land that is now part of Florida State University. In 1906, it was relocated to Brevard Street where it was housed in a newly constructed, wood-frame building. In 1926, after a major fire, the wooden building was replaced by a brick structure. The school closed in 1969 as a result of desegregation. (Courtesy of Riley Museum), Top,left: Principal Riley, pictured with Lincoln High School teachers, was the first African American in this role at the school. He served from 1893 to 1926 (Courtesy of Riley Museum), Nursing administrator Millicent Holifield challenged the segregated Leon County and State Nursing programs and prevailed in establishing a school at Lincoln High School. Shown in the second class are (front row, left to right), Julia Davis, Betty Simmons Roberts, Emily Bennett Johnson, and Virdell Jefferson. Back Row: Mary Bryant, Sherry Wilson Speed, Mary Alice Blakey Sermon, Mercedes Williams, and Holyfield. (Courtesy of State Archives of Florida), Top, middle: The 1960 Lincoln High football team, the ”Fighting Tigers." (Courtesy of Riley Museum), Top, right: The 1960 Lincoln High basketball team included (not as pictured) Leonard Bennett, Jerome Brown, Ephen Charlton, Samuel Dickey, Charles Foster, Phillip Lamb, Ricky Pope, Charlie Simmons, Willie Thompson, and Lorenzo Williams. (Courtesy of Riley Museum), Below: Marching on Macomb Street in the 1959 Lincoln High School homecoming parade, majorettes were (left to right) Shirley Hunter, Doris Warner, Betty Kelly, Florence Scott, Yvonne Cofield, and Dorothy Speed Eason (at the head) (Courtesy of State Archives of Florida)