North Titusville in Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Washington School
Jefferson County
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, March 11, 2026
1. Washington School Marker
In 1909, the township of Elyton built a school for African American children in Titusville on this site. Pioneer Black architect Wallace Rayfield, who lived nearby. selected the site. designed the building. and recommended the building contractor C.W. Hadnot and Co. When the township of Elyton merged into Birmingham in 1910. the school became one of the first two brick school buildings for black children in the Birmingham Public School System.
The 8-room schoolhouse at the corner of Alfred Street and Avenue D opened its doors to 40 children in October 1909. In 1928, the city built a three-story addition that served 1200 students; however, by 1930, it was overcrowded. The school expanded four times from 1955 to 2009 to occupy the entire block between 1st and 2nd Streets and 4TH and 5TH Avenues South. 1972, the city demolished the original Rayfield building. For half a century, this was the only public school in Titusville, educating generations of African American children through the Jim Crow segregation years, and serving a diverse student body into the 21st Century.
Erected 2025 by Commissioner Shelia Tyson,
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1909.
Location. 33° 29.756′ N, 86° 49.768′ W. Marker is in Birmingham, Alabama, in Jefferson County. It is in North Titusville. It is at the intersection of 1st Street South and 4th Avenue South, on the right when traveling north on 1st Street South. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 404 1st St S, Birmingham AL 35205, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once 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: St Paul Lutheran Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); South Elyton Baptist Church
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, March 11, 2026
2. Washington School Marker
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, March 11, 2026
3. Washington School & Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 15, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 15, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
