DUANE
Duane's take
Now, I'm drawing straight from the official marker on St. Paul Shiloh High School in Leon County, so let me tell you what that stone has to say. After emancipation, freedmen settled on the right bank of the Trinity River.
Three communities took root there — Shiloh, St. Paul, and Timesville. And from the very beginning, those communities held something close: a fierce belief in education.
Each one started its own school. Didn't wait for anyone to hand it to them. They built it themselves.
The St. Paul school got organized in 1875, right there in the Bannamon quarters, with a man named Larry Dillard at the helm. Before long it moved into the St.
Paul AME church building, and Ben Hudson stepped in as principal. A church for a classroom — you use what you have, and you use it well. Then in 1894, the trustee board made a move.
They purchased property for Colored School No. 12 — a one-room log cabin. That was the foundation. By 1917, the property had grown: additional acreage acquired, three rooms completed.
Slow, steady, deliberate. A community building something to last. And then comes 1934 and 1935, when something remarkable happened.
Those three schools — Shiloh, St. Paul, Timesville — merged. They became one: St.
Paul Shiloh High School. And leading that new institution was Miss Ruby Nichols, born around 1901, passed in 1954, and holding the distinction of being the first African American Superintendent in that role. At that same time, plans were drawn for a brand-new African American school building.
A merge and a vision, arriving together. Now, here's where I want you to sit with something. The marker is plain-spoken about what those teachers and staff faced — inadequate facilities, inadequate supplies.
They stared that down every single day. And they kept going. They kept encouraging.
They emphasized academics, yes, but they also gave students sports programs, room to find and express their talents. And in 1945, St. Paul Shiloh won the NFA boys basketball crown.
That's not a small thing. That's a school telling the world: we are here, and we are something. The last graduating class walked out in 1971, before the school merged with Oakwood ISD.
When it was all said and done, the students of St. Paul Shiloh went on to become doctors, engineers, veterans, professional athletes, teachers, and a host of other occupations. The marker puts it simply, and I think it gets it exactly right: the success of those students is a testament to the strong convictions of a community that refused to let anything — not inadequate buildings, not inadequate supplies, not anything — stand between their children and the future.
What the marker says
Following emancipation, freedmen settled on the right bank of the Trinity River, forming the Shiloh, St. Paul and Timesville communities. With strong beliefs in education, each community started schools for their citizens. Organized in 1875 in the Bannamon quarters by Larry Dillard, the St. Paul school then moved to the St. Paul Ame church building with Ben Hudson as principal. In 1894, the trustee board purchased property for the colored school no. 12, a one-room log cabin. Additional acreage and improvements to the property, including three rooms, were completed by 1917. In 1934-35, the three schools merged to form the St. Paul Shiloh High School under the direction of the first African American Superintendent, Miss Ruby Nichols (c.1901-1954). Also at this time, plans were drawn for a new African American school. Throughout its existence, the school focused on identifying and fostering great skills and abilities and preparing students for success after high school. Often faced with inadequate facilities and supplies, the teachers and staff continually persevered to encourage students. The school emphasized academics but also provided sports programs for students to express their talents. In 1945, St. Paul Shiloh won the NFA boys basketball crown. The last graduating class was in 1971 before the school merged with Oakwood ISD. Students from St. Paul Shiloh went on to become doctors, engineers, veterans, professional athletes, teachers and a host of other occupations. The success of the students is a testament to the strong convictions of the community to prepare and educate the community.