Lake Butler in Union County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Consolidated High School, Lake Butler, Florida

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 31, 2025

1. The Consolidated High School, Lake Butler, Florida Marker

Inscription.
In 1957, during the period of Jim Crow segregation. the Union County School Board decided to build a new school, consolidating all the surrounding Black schools of the county. Beforehand. Black children were bused to A.L. Mebane School and others in surrounding counties in Florida. This school was built on a 15-acre site at a cost of $219,000 and was located on the west side of town facing US Highway 121, now 6th Street. The school taught grades 1-10 at first and later added grades 11-12. Mrs. Ruth Mildred Jenkins served as principal of the newly formed Consolidated High School. The school mascot was the Blue Devil, and the colors were royal blue and white. Consolidated High School had one of the strongest math and science departments in the state. The school received state and national awards. Additionally, the school had a 41-voice chorus that was featured on The Ken Knight Show in Jacksonville. Other activities included the girls and boys school patrols, football, basketball, track, and a student government. In the Spring of 1968, when all the schools in the county were desegregated. The Consolidated High

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School became the Lake Butler Elementary School.
A Florida Heritage Site

Erected 2023 by Lake Butler Consolidated School, Union County School Board, Union County Pastors Fellowship, and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1226.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1957.

Location. 30° 1.06′ N, 82° 20.895′ W. Marker is in Lake Butler, Florida, in Union County. It is on Southwest 6th Street (Florida Route 121) near Southwest 8th Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 800 SW 6th Street, Lake Butler FL 32054, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Florida.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 31, 2025

2. The Consolidated High School, Lake Butler, Florida Marker

least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Supreme Sacrifice Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); Union County Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); Union County (approx. 0.7 miles away); Mount Zion Primative Baptist Church and Swift Creek Cemetery (approx. 4.9 miles away); Santa Fe de Toloca (approx. 11.4 miles away); Bland Community and Ogden School / Odgen School (approx. 11.9 miles away); Village Of Providence (approx. 11.9 miles away); a different marker also named LaCrosse (approx. 12½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lake Butler.

Another marker is no longer nearby. LaCrosse, Florida (was approx. 12½ miles away but has been permanently removed).

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 31, 2025

3. The Consolidated High School, Lake Butler, Florida Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 9, 2025, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 266 times since then and 66 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 9, 2025, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.