Dalton Vocational School Historic District, also known as the Bartlett Agricultural and Vocational School Historic District, is a national

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

located near Dalton, Chariton County, Missouri. The district encompasses nine

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

and one contributing site of an African American agricultural and vocational school that served Chariton and surrounding counties during the first half of the 20th century. Plans for the school were initiated in 1905 and after it opened it developed and operated until 1956. Building at the site include the Bartlett Classroom Building (1938), Busch Building (1909), Principals Cottage (c. 1930), Cafeteria (c. 1920), Machine Shop (c. 1920), two sheds, a barn, and a poultry house, along with 123 acres of property. an
site map
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Nathaniel C. Bruce Dalton Vocational School Historic District, also known as the Bartlett Agricultural and Vocational School Historic District, is a national historic district located near Dalton, Chariton County, Missouri. The district encompasses nine contribut ...

(1865 - June 27, 1942) was the driving force behind the school's founding. He was born in Virginia and had worked previously at a high school for African Americans in

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...

. He described plans for it to become the "Tuskegee ( Tuskegee Institute) of the West". Plans for the school were met with opposition from white residents who protested. A June 26, 1909 article in ''The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune'' advanced fears the school would bring additional "Negroes" to the area and establish them in the majority. It described plans for the school as being driven by people from St. Joseph. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. In 2021, a plaque at the Dalton Cemetery was added commemorating Bruce.

References

African-American history of Missouri Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri Buildings and structures in Chariton County, Missouri National Register of Historic Places in Chariton County, Missouri {{CharitonCountyMO-NRHP-stub