Washington Street (Quitman)
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Washington Street High School, located in Quitman, was a former all-black school that existed from 1955-70.
History
Washington Street was a replacement for Brooks High, whose building was considered inadequate.[1] Plans also included an elementary school as the black elementary in Quitman burned in 1951.[1]
Construction began in 1954, with the new school's name given as Washington Street.[2] The State School Building Authority turned the building over to Quitman authorities in July 1955.[3]
Washington Street was initially a city high and elementary school as the Quitman and Brooks County school systems were separate until March 1959, when a two-year contract was signed.[4] Brooks County, which had been building a consolidated black high school coincidentally on property adjoining Washington Street School,[5] instead combined black high school student populations in the new school and turned what had been an all-grades Washington Street into an elementary.[6][7]
Brooks County's consolidated black high school would have combined the county's two high schools, which were located in Morven and in the community of Simmon Hill, north of Dixie (Brooks County Training).
Football
Brooks High won three Georgia Interscholastic Association state football titles (1949, 1951, and 1952), but Washington Street would never get closer than the 1955 semifinals. Washington Street would hold the GIA record for the most points scored in a league game. The Wildcats defeated Washington High of Blakely, 126-14, October 10, 1969. Washington Street's final football game was a 22-8 win over Seminole County Training November 14, 1969. The game was called at halftime because of cold weather.
After total integration, Washington Street's campus became Brooks County Middle. It has since been demolished, save for the gymnasium.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Quitman Free Press, September 25, 1952
- ↑ The Quitman Free Press, May 20, 1954
- ↑ The Quitman Free Press, August 4, 1955
- ↑ The Quitman Free Press, March 19, 1959
- ↑ The Quitman Free Press, January 16, 1958
- ↑ The Quitman Free Press, September 3, 1959
- ↑ Georgia Educational Directory, 1959-60