Oak Ridge in Anderson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

First Integrated Public Schools in the Southeast

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, December 29, 2024

1. First Integrated Public Schools in the Southeast Marker

Inscription. Following the American Civil War the 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865, abolishing slavery in the United States. During the post-Reconstruction era, leaders of southern states created a separate and second-class status for Black Americans, which included separate schools for Whites and Blacks in Tennessee. In the 1940s, the Manhattan Project and subsequently the Atomic Energy Commission operated the Oak Ridge Schools.

Reverse Side
The Atomic Energy Commission directed Oak Ridge Schools to desegregate. On September 6, 1955, a total of 85 Black American students peacefully enrolled in Oak Ridge High School and Robertsville Junior High School. These were the first desegregated public schools in the Southeast. The names of the brave individuals who first broke the practice of racial school segregation are listed on plaques inside each of the schools.

Erected 2024 by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 1D 45.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education.

Location. 36° 0.749′ N, 84° 16.466′ W. Marker is in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in Anderson County. It is on Robertsville Road west of

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Tennessee Road 62. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 245 Robertsville Rd, Oak Ridge TN 37830, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee

and in Greater Knoxville.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

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 walking distance of this marker: The Robertsville Community (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Swimming Hole (approx. half a mile away); Grove Center (approx. half a mile away); Midtown Community Center (approx. half a mile away); The Emery Road (approx. half a mile away); Oak Ridge Municipal Outdoor Swimming Pool (approx. 0.6 miles away); Middletown Trailer Park (approx. 0.7 miles away); International Friendship Bell (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oak Ridge.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, December 29, 2024

2. First Integrated Public Schools in the Southeast marker

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, December 29, 2024

3. First Integrated Public Schools in the Southeast marker

Credits. This page was last revised on January 6, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 3, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 149 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 6, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.