William Hooper Councill High School served African American students in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...

, from 1867 until 1966 and is now the site of William Hooper Councill Memorial Park. The first public school for African Americans in Huntsville, it was named for William Hooper Councill who founded Lincoln School in Huntsville and pushed for its expansion into the state normal school it became in 1875, leading to its becoming Alabama A&M University. The high school has several prominent alumni. In 1965, its football team was undefeated. The school closed during integration (desegregation) and the last class graduated in 1966. The high school building is extant and is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. Community activists organized to have the school site redeveloped as a park. The park is at 620 St. Clair Avenue next to the Huntsville Madison County Public Library. A bronze statue of Councill is in the park. Statues of children are also planned.

History

Councill Training School, which later became Councill High School, was a school for African American students in

. It was named for William H. Councill who helped found the State Normal School for Negroes in Huntsville (predecessor of Alabama A & M University). He served as the

normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...

's principal and as the first president of the college that succeeded it. After growing and expanding over the years to include grades through high school, Huntsville's Councill School closed in 1970 after integration. The school's alumni association is worl to establish a William Councill High School Park and monument at the site. Councill and his family were enslaved before the American Civil War. He helped start the Lincoln School, four miles west of Huntsville in 1868. It had 36 students by 1870. He was a teacher, "colored convention" leader, and also served in government offices during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

. A three-room school building was built in 1919 for the new Councill Training Schooll. It was designed to serve students in grades 1-6. A grant from the

Julius Rosenwald Foundation The Rosenwald Fund (also known as the Rosenwald Foundation, the Julius Rosenwald Fund, and the Julius Rosenwald Foundation) was established in 1917 by Julius Rosenwald and his family for "the well-being of mankind." Rosenwald became part-owner of S ...

helped pay for the school. In 1948 a new building was constructed and 600 students from grades 1-12 were served. Additional classrooms were built in 1958 and 1962 and enrollment reached 950. In 1968, as integration was enforced, it was changed to being only a high school. It closed in 1970.

Princapls at the school were Dr. Charles Orr (1948 – 1953), J.H. Richards (1953 – 1959), and Mr. A.G. Adams (1959 – 1970).

Jeanette Scissum Jeanette Alexandra Scissum (born October 6, 1939) is an American mathematician, space scientist, and diversity advocate who put forward techniques for improved forecasting of the sunspot cycle. Early life and education Scissum was born in Gunt ...

taught at the school.

Legacy

In 2018 the William Hooper Councill Alumni Association broke ground on the William Hooper Councill High School Memorial Park, located on the school's original site. The design mirrors the original floor plan of the school, with paths and benches incorporating bricks from the last school building that had remained on site. Initial work on the park began in 2019, and city officials have announced that in the future the park will feature sculptures of Councill as well as students from Councill High School. In 2020 AMMU announced the construction of the William Hooper Councill Eternal Flame Memorial, which was described as “a lasting tribute to the visionary founder of AAMU and his enduring fight for education that has positively impacted the United States and beyond.” The Memorial will include a new structure erected at the current gravesite, with the eternal flame set in the center of a walkway.

Alumni

Joseph Lowery Joseph Echols Lowery (October 6, 1921 – March 27, 2020) was an American minister in the United Methodist Church and leader in the civil rights movement. He founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Martin Luther King Jr. and ot ...

, A.M.E. minister and civil rights leader * John L. Cashin Jr. and his brother Herschel John L. Cashin Jr., Encyclopedia of Alabama http://encyclopediaofalabama.org According to

Sheryll Cashin Sheryll D. Cashin is a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center. She was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, where her parents were political activists. Her parents' role in the civil rights movement impressed on her the importance of ...

he moved on to graduate from Alabama A&M High School on the university's campus in Normal. *Dr. Sonnie Hereford, civil rights activist who fought school segregation in court

References

{{coord, 34.7226, -86.5885, type:edu_region:US-AL, display=title High schools in Huntsville, Alabama Schools in Madison County, Alabama Parks in Huntsville, Alabama Former school buildings in the United States 1867 establishments in Alabama 1966 disestablishments in Alabama Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage