Mays Lick Negro School is a former

black school The History of African-American education deals with the public and private schools at all levels used by African Americans in the United States and for the related policies and debates. Black schools, also referred to as "Negro schools" and " ...

in May's Lick, Kentucky. The schoolhouse, which dates to the 1920s, has been declared a historic landmark. It was a

Rosenwald School The Rosenwald School project built more than 5,000 schools, shops, and teacher homes in the United States primarily for the education of African-American children in the South during the early 20th century. The project was the product of the partn ...

. After the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, the Freeman's Bureau was tasked with educating the newly freed black children. The Freeman's Bureau opened a school for black children in the May's Lick community ca. 1868. The location was behind the Second Baptist Church, near

US 68 U.S. Route 68 (US 68) is a United States highway that runs for from northwest Ohio to Western Kentucky. The highway's western terminus is at US 62 in Reidland, Kentucky. Its present eastern terminus is at Interstate 75 in Findlay, Ohio, thou ...

and Nicholas Street. A new schoolhouse was dedicated July 17, 1921. This school was constructed with help of the

Rosenwald Fund 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 ...

. The school remained in operation until the early 1960s. The square brick building with long windows has been added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2018. As of 2019, fund-raising efforts are being made to restore this building. Its National Register nomination states baldly:

Mays Lick Negro School operated as a consolidated school for African Americans in Mason County Kentucky from the year it was built, 1920-1921, until Mason County ceased to segregate education racially, in 1960. It is significant all the years from 1920-1960 in the history of local education for showing the interest of the county's white citizens in keeping children in school from interacting racially. Includes historic photos and photos from 2017.

The spelling of the school's name includes no apostrophe, as the school was termed, and literally labelled, "Mays Lick" not "May's Lick".

References

Historically segregated African-American schools in Kentucky Schools supported by the Freedmen's Bureau Rosenwald schools in Kentucky National Register of Historic Places in Mason County, Kentucky Schools in Mason County, Kentucky Educational institutions established in 1868 School buildings completed in 1921 1868 establishments in Kentucky 1921 establishments in Kentucky School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky {{Kentucky-stub

See also

References