Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
L.M. Davis Elementary School
Photographed By Jay Kravetz, July 8, 2016
1. L.M. Davis Elementary School Marker
Inscription.
L.M. Davis Elementary School. . Education was a challenging priority for the African-American community of Limestone Creek. Denied access to Jupiter’s nearby public schools by segregation laws, the community opened its own school in 1905. The “Jupiter Colored School,” first located in the local AME Church, moved to a building on the Louis Moseley Davis homestead in 1915. When the Okeechobee Hurricane destroyed the school building in 1928, Davis donated an acre from his homestead for a new one. Money for the new school came from the Julius Rosenwald Foundation, named after and created by the president of Sears, Roebuck and Co in collaboration with Booker T. Washington, which contributed to the construction of over 5,000 African-American schools in the South. With additional funds provided by local residents and Palm Beach County, the county built a two-room school with a kitchen and hired two teachers for grades 1-8. The graduating class of 1941 raised funds to build a sidewalk over the drainage ditch at the school entrance, and a remaining piece with their autographs is preserved in this park. Davis drove older students in a community-built bus to the Industrial High School twenty miles away. The elementary school was renamed after Davis in 1956.
Education was a challenging priority for the African-American community of Limestone Creek. Denied access to Jupiter’s nearby public schools by segregation laws, the community opened its own school in 1905. The “Jupiter Colored School,” first located in the local AME Church, moved to a building on the Louis Moseley Davis homestead in 1915. When the Okeechobee Hurricane destroyed the school building in 1928, Davis donated an acre from his homestead for a new one. Money for the new school came from the Julius Rosenwald Foundation, named after and created by the president of Sears, Roebuck & Co in collaboration with Booker T. Washington, which contributed to the construction of over 5,000 African-American schools in the South. With additional funds provided by local residents and Palm Beach County, the county built a two-room school with a kitchen and hired two teachers for grades 1-8. The graduating class of 1941 raised funds to build a sidewalk over the drainage ditch at the school entrance, and a remaining piece with their autographs is preserved in this park. Davis drove older students in a community-built bus to the Industrial High School twenty miles away. The elementary school was renamed after Davis in 1956.
Erected 2015 by Loxahatchee River Historical Society and the Florida
Location. 26° 56.763′ N, 80° 8.53′ W. Marker is in Jupiter, Florida, in Palm Beach County. Marker is on Limestone Creek Road north of Australian Street, on the right when traveling south. Located in Limestone Creek Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 18301 Limestone Creek Road, Jupiter FL 33458, United States of America. Touch for directions.
3. L.M. Davis Elementary School Marker remaining autographs of sidewalk from class of 1941
Photographed By Jay Kravetz, July 8, 2016
4. L.M. Davis Elementary School Marker
Historical Site L.M. Davis Elementary School In 1914, this property was donated to the County by the L.M. Davis Family for the purpose of building a school. The facility constructed was later named the L.M. Davis Elementary School and served the children of west Jupiter until 1965. For many years, the walkway you are standing on was an important “pathway to education” for the children of this community.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 24, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 8, 2016, by Jay Kravetz of West Palm Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 647 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 8, 2016, by Jay Kravetz of West Palm Beach, Florida. 3. submitted on November 17, 2022, by Greg Madsen of Palm Beach, Florida. 4. submitted on July 8, 2016, by Jay Kravetz of West Palm Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
