Lincoln School

Lincoln School. . In 1872 a two-story brick building, the Washington Avenue Colored Public School, was opened. Sampson Lewis was the first principal. In 1884, the School Board swapped buildings with Drury University, and the school was re-named Lincoln Colored School. It became known as Old Lincoln School. , With a Rosenwald Foundation grant, a new two-story red brick school for African-American students was dedicated on May 21, 1931. When it opened, teachers led students in a parade eastward on Central Street to New Lincoln School. Once there, students sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The new school had 15 rooms, including a gymnasium, mechanical arts shop, domestic science room, and a library. Lincoln School was a hub for the African-American community, as administrators sponsored scout troops, ran a community library and child care center, and held dances, plays, concerts, talent contests, and fashion shows. , Lincoln educators were highly dedicated and served as strong role models. They sometimes loaned students money, often vouched for them to get jobs, and frequently counseled them. Teachers and administrators set high standards for learning. As a former Lincoln student put it, “If you didn't know anything when you went in, you'd know it when you come out.” , In 1954 the integration of Springfield Public Schools began, and in fall 1955 Lincoln School was closed. It later reopened as Eastwood Junior High School. Eastwood closed in 1962, and the building became a vocational-technical center. In 1991, Ozarks Technical Community College moved into the building and later renamed it Lincoln Hall.