Valena C. Jones School (Mississippi)
| Valena C. Jones School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
310 Old Spanish Trail, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, US | |
| Coordinates | 30°18′35″N 89°20′35″W / 30.309730°N 89.343177°W |
| Information | |
| Former name | Bay St. Louis Negro School |
| Established | 1892 |
| Closed | 1969 |
| Grades | 1–10th |
| Designation | Mississippi Landmark |
| Designation date | May 26, 2023[1] |
Valena C. Jones School (1892–1969) also known as Bay St. Louis Negro School, was a public school for African American students in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, US. The school offered classes for first grade through tenth grade.[2] The former school building is part of the Old Bay St. Louis Historic District, and is listed as a contributing property by the National Register of Historic Places, since July 8, 2010;[3] and listed as a Mississippi Landmark since May 26, 2023.[1]
History
[edit]It was founded as the Bay St. Louis Negro School in 1892.[1] The school was renamed after Valena Cecelia MacArthur Jones (1872–1917), a noted 19th-century African American educator, who served as the principal at the school from 1892 until 1897.[4][5][6]
A one-story, L-plan, modern style brick school building was constructed in 1947, at 310 Old Spanish Trail.[3][1] In 1969, the school closed.
From 1969 to 1972, the campus was reopened and served as a primary school until its full closure.[4] After the campus served as the Hancock County branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Gulf Coast.[4] The Valena C. Jones Memorial United Methodist Church (1926) at 248 Sycamore Street is located nearby.[3]
Notable alumni
[edit]- Beverly Anderson (born 1943), mathematician and professor emeritus at University of the District of Columbia[2]
See also
[edit]- Education segregation in the Mississippi Delta
- Education segregation in the Mississippi Red Clay region
- Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Property: Valena C. Jones School (Negro)". Mississippi Department of Archives & History (MDAH). Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ a b Orfila, Rebecca (August 2016). "Shared History - Valena Cecilia McArthur Jones". The Shoofly Magazine. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ^ a b c "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Old Bay St. Louis Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved July 14, 2025. With accompanying pictures
- ^ a b c Belcher, Geoff (November 22, 2023). "Remembering Valena C. Jones School". The Sea Coast Echo.
- ^ Dean, Lauren (March 7, 2013). "Valena Cecelia MacArthur Jones: New Orleans Educator 1872-1917". New Orleans Historical.
- ^ "NOLA4Women: Valena C. Jones' Legacy in Two Cities". Amistad Research Center.