Harlem Academy School, or School #2, was a school for African Americans in Tampa, Florida. Christina Meacham, Zacariah D. Greene and Blanche Armwood served as principals at the school. It was originally built with support from the

Freedmens Bureau The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, usually referred to as simply the Freedmen's Bureau, was an agency of early Reconstruction, assisting freedmen in the South. It was established on March 3, 1865, and operated briefly as a ...

History

Classes were initially held at the Hillsborough County Courthouse in 1868 and the school was originally known as School #2. A school building was constructed in 1889 at Harrison and Morgan Streets in what was then known as the "Scrub" area of Tampa. It burned in 1892 and was replaced in 1895. As of 1904 there were 472 students. A brick building was erected for the school in 1912. It closed in 1964. The school participated in the

Jamestown Exposition The Jamestown Exposition was one of the many world's fairs and expositions that were popular in the United States in the early part of the 20th century. Commemorating the 300th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown in the Virginia Colony, it w ...

of 1907, a

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

, as part of the Negro Building exhibitions. Christina Meacham, one of the school's principals, helped organize the Florida Negro Teacher's Association. In 1927, the school was renamed in honor of Meacham. Today, a Tampa Middle school is named for her. The school closed in 1965 and most of the records have been lost. The building was named a National Historic Landmark in 2005. In 2007, the Tampa Housing Authority, in cooperation with the

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank w ...

demolished the schoolhouse in what was then known as Central Park Village to make way for apartments and condominiums known as Town Square. As compensation for destroying the historic building, the district agreed to name a new middle school north of Scott Street Christina A Meacham Middle School. In 2008, a historical marker was put up honoring the school as the first of its kind for African American students in Tampa. Doretha Edgecomb, longtime Hillsborough County commissioner attended the school, as did comedian Stepin Fetchit.

References

{{Reflist Schools supported by the Freedmen's Bureau Defunct schools in Florida Educational institutions established in 1868 Educational institutions disestablished in 1964 Schools in Tampa, Florida 1868 establishments in Florida