For more than 75 years, the squat brick building was at the heart of the Black community in Franklin.
The small schoolhouse on Madison Street welcomed generations of students to learn reading, mathematics and science before moving on to high school. Eventually named for prominent African-American leader Booker T. Washington, the school helped children establish an educational foundation when other opportunities were not available.
Local history was made there.
<a href="http://www.dailyjournal.net/wp-content/files/sites/9/2021/04/742981c8b26768fff4f22f4a825d8854-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1626862" src="http://www.dailyjournal.net/wp-content/files/sites/9/2021/04/742981c8b26768fff4f22f4a825d8854-1-212×300.jpg" alt="Booker T. Washington, a leading African-American educator and intellectual, was the namesake of the Booker T. Washington School. The community center at Palmer Park is being renamed in honor of the school and Washington. Submitted photo." width="212" height="300" /></a> Booker T. Washington, a leading African-American educator and intellectual, was the namesake of the Booker T. Washington School. The community center at Palmer Park is being renamed in honor of the school and Washington. Submitted photo."It was just such an important part in the community," said Douglas Gray, a pastor and member of this year’s Leadership Johnson County class. "Most people didn’t know there was a school sitting there."
Though the building is no longer standing, the site will again bear Washington’s name and honor the legacy of the school. The meeting house at Palmer Park will be renamed the Booker T. Washington Community Center, after a campaign by a Leadership Johnson County class and with the support of Franklin Parks and Recreation and other community groups.
In addition to renaming the community center, the project will include a walking trail through the park highlighting important figures in Franklin history, such as community leaders Hattie Fossett-Caine, Ethel Harnett and Arthur Henry Wilson.
A dedication ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to unveil the new name.
"There is going to be a certain amount of nurturing from my perspective," Gray said. "There is going to be some healing in the African-American community, and there’s going to be a lot of new knowledge for the rest of the community."
Tucked in a quiet downtown Franklin neighborhood, Palmer Park features a small playground shaded by a canopy of trees. People play tennis on the courts installed there, or shoot basketball hoops, while the community center on the grounds can be rented for birthday parties, family reunions and other gatherings.
Only a few indicators show that the land used to house a school. A metal plaque sits in a small garden, identifying it as the original site of the school.
More prominent is a black historical marker installed in front of the community center. The sign describes the story behind what had been known as West School until 1928, and quotes a Franklin school board declaration: "That the West School Building shall hereafter be known as the Booker T. Washington School in honor of the man regarded as the greatest of his race … who was interested in and gave the greater part of his life to the cause of education."
<a href="http://www.dailyjournal.net/wp-content/files/sites/9/2021/04/8abfebafe44b8164e41a781b75f1f6c7-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1626863" src="http://www.dailyjournal.net/wp-content/files/sites/9/2021/04/8abfebafe44b8164e41a781b75f1f6c7-1-300×220.jpg" alt="The former Booker T. Washington School, which educated students of color for more than 75 years in Franklin. The community center at Palmer Park sits on the site of the school, and is being renamed in honor of Booker T. Washington. Submitted photo." width="300" height="220" /></a> The former Booker T. Washington School, which educated students of color for more than 75 years in Franklin. The community center at Palmer Park sits on the site of the school, and is being renamed in honor of Booker T. Washington. Submitted photo.The building ceased operations as a school in 1951, and was razed 30 years later.
Few people know about the importance of that site to the history of the city. Those who do still called it by its original name.
"I know African-Americans who have lived here, that’s what they called it anyway.
That was the motivation behind the DREAM project — Diversity in Recreation for Education, Alliance and Motivation. DREAM formed as a part of the Leadership Johnson County program. Leadership Johnson County is a community program that prepares area residents for leadership roles. At the start of the program, participants break off into small groups, with each team required to envision and enact a project that would benefit the community.
Gray and his team members came together around an idea to help increase diversity and recognize history in the county.
The idea for the project came from Gray. He used to be a pastor at Second Baptist Church in Franklin, a congregation that meets just down the street from Palmer Park. That church, plus another in Bethel AME Church, united with the Booker T. Washington School to form the nexus of the Black community in Franklin.
Gray had given presentations on the school to the congregations of the two churches, as well as to the Johnson County Public Library. Those experiences convinced him of just how meaningful it would be to honor that original name.
"That community center actually sits on the exact same footprint as the Booker T. Washington School. So that for me was the genesis of it," Gray said.
Once his Leadership Johnson County group came together, Gray suggested renaming the community center. The other members were in support, and after presenting it to the Leadership Johnson County officials, they got to work.
The first step was approaching Franklin Parks and Recreation about renaming the community center. They outlined their idea to restore the former name of the site, as well as add educational components to help others understand the importance of it.
Displays would focus on people such as Harnett, who was a lifelong teacher who became principal at the school. George Marion Robinson went on to attend and graduate from Franklin College in 1911, and was a talent tenor, educator and musical director for a number of churches.
Fossett-Caine was a teacher and successful businessperson, serving as Franklin’s first beautician, podiatrist and masseuse. Dr. Arthur Henry Wilson attended the school and left Franklin College in 1902 as the first Black graduate, before enjoying a successful career as a physician.
"There wasn’t much resistance, because people just didn’t know the history of the school. When I told them about some of the people who had gone to that school, they had no idea," Gray said.
For the parks department, the gesture was an easy decision.
"(Leadership Johnson County) has approached us for a few different leadership projects they’ve done for the community, and this group came to us with a good idea," said Rocky Schultz, assistant superintendent of Franklin Parks and Recreation. "That’s a historical site, and has the marker on it."
New signage would help identify the community center with its new name. A walking trail with placards tells the stories of the important figures who shaped Franklin and went to the Booker T. Washington School. Students at Whiteland Community High School constructed the display cases for the trail.
Inside the center, more educational displays will provide depth to the story.
<a href="http://www.dailyjournal.net/wp-content/files/sites/9/2021/04/0f43bac22e818689d461436a271bb36a-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1626861" src="http://www.dailyjournal.net/wp-content/files/sites/9/2021/04/0f43bac22e818689d461436a271bb36a-1-222×300.jpg" alt="Herriott Palmer, the namesake of Palmer Park. When Palmer died, she stipulated that her estate be used to establish a playground for children of color in Franklin, and the park named for her is still there. Submitted photo." width="222" height="300" /></a> Herriott Palmer, the namesake of Palmer Park. When Palmer died, she stipulated that her estate be used to establish a playground for children of color in Franklin, and the park named for her is still there. Submitted photo.Part of that will be to explain the story behind Palmer Park, and why the park and community center was named after Herriott Palmer. She was an educator who taught at Franklin High School, eventually becoming principal, before going on to teach at Franklin College. When she died in 1951, she stipulated that the residue of her estate be used for a playground for the Black community in Franklin.
"When I found that out, I thought we should keep that park name in honor of Herriott Palmer, so we decided to just change the name of the community center," Gray said.
The community will get the first look at the newly named Booker T. Washington Community Center on Thursday during the special ceremony.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office color guard will be present, group members will provide history on the school and its impact, and local students who participated in an essay contest will be recognized.
Former students of Booker T. Washington School have been invited to share their experiences.
"It’s going to be a special event," Gray said.
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Rededication of the community center of Palmer Park
What: A ceremony marking the new name of the center at Parlmer Park, which will be now called the Booker T. Washington Community Center. The name stems from the school for children of color that was open at the same site from 1873 to 1951.
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Palmer Park, 450 W. Madison St., Franklin
Program: The ceremony will include the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office color guard, living former Booker T. Washington School students, a brief history of the school and area school contest winners.
Who can come: The ceremony is open to the public
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