William Hooper Councill High School

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W. H. Councill High School building in 2010 W.H. Councill HS July 2010.jpg
W. H. Councill High School building in 2010

William Hooper Councill High School served African American students in Huntsville, Alabama, from 1867 until 1966 and is now the site of William Hooper Councill Memorial Park. The first public school for African Americans in Huntsville, it was named for William Hooper Councill who founded Lincoln School in Huntsville and pushed for its expansion into the state normal school it became in 1875, leading to its becoming Alabama A&M University. [1] The high school has several prominent alumni.

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In 1965, its football team was undefeated. [2] The school closed during integration (desegregation) and the last class graduated in 1966. [1] The high school building is extant and is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Community activists organized to have the school site redeveloped as a park. [3] The park is at 620 St. Clair Avenue next to the Huntsville Madison County Public Library. [2] A bronze statue of Councill is in the park. [4] Statues of children are also planned. [5]

History

Councill Training School, which later became Councill High School, was a school for African American students in Huntsville, Alabama. It was named for William H. Councill who helped found the State Normal School for Negroes in Huntsville (predecessor of Alabama A & M University). He served as the normal school's principal and as the first president of the college that succeeded it. After growing and expanding over the years to include grades through high school, Huntsville's Councill School closed in 1970 after integration. The school's alumni association is worl to establish a William Councill High School Park and monument at the site.

Councill and his family were enslaved before the American Civil War. He helped start the Lincoln School, four miles west of Huntsville in 1868. It had 36 students by 1870. [6] He was a teacher, "colored convention" leader, and also served in government offices during the Reconstruction era.

William Hooper Councill William Hooper Councill.jpg
William Hooper Councill

A three-room school building was built in 1919 for the new Councill Training School. It was designed to serve students in grades 1–6. A grant from the Julius Rosenwald Foundation helped pay for the school. [7] In 1948 a new building was constructed and 600 students from grades 1-12 were served. Additional classrooms were built in 1958 and 1962 and enrollment reached 950. In 1968, as integration was enforced, it was changed to being only a high school. It closed in 1970. [7]

W. H. Councill High School building in Huntsville, Alabama (2010) W.H. Councill HS July 2010.jpg
W. H. Councill High School building in Huntsville, Alabama (2010)

Princapls at the school were Dr. Charles Orr (1948 – 1953), J.H. Richards (1953 – 1959), and Mr. A.G. Adams (1959 – 1970). [7]

Jeanette Scissum taught at the school.

Legacy

In 2018 the William Hooper Councill Alumni Association broke ground on the William Hooper Councill High School Memorial Park, located on the school's original site. [8] The design mirrors the original floor plan of the school, with paths and benches incorporating bricks from the last school building that had remained on site. [9] Initial work on the park began in 2019, and city officials have announced that in the future the park will feature sculptures of Councill as well as students from Councill High School. [10]

In 2020 AMMU announced the construction of the William Hooper Councill Eternal Flame Memorial, which was described as “a lasting tribute to the visionary founder of AAMU and his enduring fight for education that has positively impacted the United States and beyond.” [11] The Memorial will include a new structure erected at the current gravesite, with the eternal flame set in the center of a walkway. [11]

Alumni

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References

  1. 1 2 "William Hooper Councill High School Site". City of Huntsville. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  2. 1 2 3 "Legacy of Dr. William Hooper Councill Memorialized By Park". www.huntsville.org. February 5, 2021.
  3. ↑ "William Hooper Councill High School Site". Clio.
  4. ↑ Gentle, Elizabeth. ""His influence was everywhere,": School alumna on legacy of William Hooper Councill". www.waff.com.
  5. ↑ "First look at one of Huntsville's newest parks: Memorializing William Hooper Councill High". 30 July 2020.
  6. ↑ "VII. Narrative", Alabama Agricultural and Mechanic University Historic District (PDF), National Register Of Historic Places Continuation Sheet, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior
  7. 1 2 3 "Councill Training School". City of Huntsville.
  8. ↑ WAFF 48 Digital. "Ground broken on park commemorating Huntsville's first public black school" . Retrieved 2020-08-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ "Former black Alabama school campus will become a park". al. 2018-12-14. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  10. ↑ "Construction underway for Councill High Memorial Park". WHNT.com. 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  11. 1 2 "Eternal Flame a Tribute to Visionary Founder - Alabama A&M University". www.aamu.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  12. ↑ John L. Cashin Jr., Encyclopedia of Alabama http://encyclopediaofalabama.org

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