Perry in Taylor County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Jerkins High School

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, August 2, 2013

1. Jerkins High School Marker

Inscription. In 1853, a family of free blacks established the Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church in what was then known as Rosehead, later Perry. The roots of African-American education in Taylor County began with this church, which remains the oldest congregation in the county. Fires in 1919 and 1923 destroyed two later black schools in Perry; the 1923 fire was a spillover of the racially-motivated destruction of the black Rosewood community in nearby Levy County. The original Jerkins High School was built in 1931 with funding from the Julius Rosenwald Fund Foundation, which helped to build thousands of rural black schools, mostly in the South. Originally named the Perry Negro High School, the school was re-named for principal Henry R. Jerkins, Jr. in 1946, and was the county's first school named for an African-American. A visionary, Jerkins expanded the school's offerings during his tenure as principal (1930-1937) to include all twelve grades, a rarity for black schools in Florida at the time. The 1931 building burned down in 1943, and the present facility was constructed in 1951. Jerkins High School closed in 1970, following integration,

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and in 1995 the school board donated it to the Taylor County Leadership Council.

A Florida Heritage Site

Erected 2010 by The Taylor County Leadership Council and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-699.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Rosenwald Schools series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1853.

Location. 30° 6.448′ N, 83° 35.612′ W. Marker is in Perry, Florida, in Taylor County. It is at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and 6th Street, on the left when traveling west on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1201 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue, Perry FL 32348, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Florida.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, November 15, 2020

2. Jerkins High School Marker

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 least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Zachary Taylor (approx. one mile away); Methodist Episcopal Church South (approx. 1.1 miles away); God Bless America (approx. 1.1 miles away); Taylor County (approx. 1.2 miles away); War on Terror (approx. 1.3 miles away); a different marker also named War on Terror (approx. 1.3 miles away); “Liberation of Kuwait” (approx. 1.3 miles away); Operation Enduring Freedom (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Perry.

Jerkins High School Campus image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James R. Murray, May 16, 2014

3. Jerkins High School Campus

An additional view of the Jerkins High School Campus image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James R. Murray, May 16, 2004

4. An additional view of the Jerkins High School Campus

Credits. This page was last revised on November 24, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 13, 2013, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 3,585 times since then and 221 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 13, 2013, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. 2. submitted on November 24, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. 3, 4. submitted on May 16, 2014, by James R. Murray of Elkton, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.