Arkadelphia in Clark County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

Peake High School

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 7, 2023

1. Peake High School Marker

Inscription.
PHS
Dedicated This landmark is erected on the original site of Peake School built on land donated by Mr. Ed Peake in 1928, and is dedicated to the faculties and staffs who encouraged and prepared us to compete on an equal level with the best and to endure and appreciate the value of learning.

Erected 1988 by Peake High School alumni of Los Angeles, Ca.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Charity & Public Work • Education. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), and the Rosenwald Schools series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1928.

Location. 34° 7.275′ N, 93° 4.045′ W. Marker is in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, in Clark County. It is at the intersection of Caddo Street and North 16th Street, on the right when traveling west on Caddo Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1600 Caddo St, Arkadelphia AR 71923, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Arkansas’ Gulf Coastal Plain

and in Caddo Territory.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Piney Woods.

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,

the Louisiana Purchase,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Sloan School (approx. ¼ mile away); Rose Hill Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); First Public School in Arkadelphia (approx. 0.4 miles away); W.D. and Ida Feaster

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(approx. 0.6 miles away); Arkadelphia Courthouses (approx. 0.8 miles away); Clark County (approx. 0.9 miles away); Duncan's Addition (approx. 0.9 miles away); Degray Dam Boulder (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arkadelphia.

Regarding Peake High School. Excerpt from the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the school:

The present Peake High School building was built in 1929 and was named for J. Ed Peake, one of the principals of the old Sloan School and landowner of the site where the building was built. Peake's heirs sold the land that the building was built on to the Arkadelphia Special School District Number One on July 27, 1928, for $4,000. However, it was stipulated that the property remain under the Peake name.

A total of $32,150 was allocated to Arkansas for the 1928-1929 budget year (the year Peake was built), which allowed the completion of29 schools, three teachers' homes, seven vocational shops, and three school additions comprising five classrooms. Of the 29 schools completed during that period, the Peake High School was the only ten-room school built.

The cost to construct
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 7, 2023

2. Peake High School Marker
The main Peake School building is to the left in the background. On the right is a shop building also constructed in 1929 using Rosenwald funds. The shop building is not included on the National Register and is now used by the school system's maintenance staff.
Peake High School was $25,400, and it was one of the most expensive schools constructed during the 1928-1929 budget cycle. Of the $25,400 cost of construction, $2,000 came from black contributions, $20,800 came from public funding, and the Rosenwald Fund gave a grant of $2,600.

Also see . . .
1. Peake High School (PDF). National Register nomination for the school, which was listed in 2005. (Prepared by Ralph S. Wilcox, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program; via National Archives) (Submitted on October 22, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Peake Rosenwald 2023. Ida Tramble shares some of the history of Peake Rosenwald School, her alma mater. (Arkadelphia Public Schools, uploaded March 16, 2023) (Submitted on October 22, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Former Peake High School image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 7, 2023

3. Former Peake High School

The building now houses an early childhood educational center.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 22, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 446 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 22, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.