George Washington Carver High School Time Line
~1878 School established at site of present St. Paul Church, 4 miles north of Kinder (about 1 ½ miles West of Hwy 165). The first school was held in the home of Julian Captain. Mr. Captain moved into Hickory Flats from St. Landry Parish the Civil War. He thought highly of education and at that time there was no school in the area for Black children. He secured the services of Lawrence Shaw, of Oklahoma, as the first teacher.
1900 As more black families sent their children to be taught, more room was required. Julian Captain deeded two acres of his land to the community. A church house was built, and it also served as the school for the black children of Hickory Flats. One of Mr. Captain’s daughters succeeded Mr. Lawrence Shaw as teacher.
1910 Allen Parish became a parish in 1910. School year 1913-1914 was the first year teachers were selected by the Allen Parish School Board. R. C. Corkens was elected First Allen Parish Superintendent of Education. A “training school” was officially established at the church during the 1920’s. The school was named Morehead School because more Morehead children attended the school than any other family in the early years.
1920 Solomon Cole was hired by the Allen Parish School Board to be principal of the Morehead school during the 1920’s. Mr. Cole attended Tuskegee and Southern University.
1938 The Morehead School was closed at the end of the 1937/1938 school year. Rose Brandon Captain was the last teacher while the school was in the old St. Paul Church. Mrs. Captain attended Southern University. Millie Cole was a member of the Last graduating class (7th grade) before the school closed.
1939/1940 Morehead School was moved into a new building at the Pecan Grove location alongside Hwy. 165, approximately 4 miles south of Oberlin. (1st -8th grades) This building was on the west side of the highway. The Morehead name was removed, and the new school was known as Pecan Grove. There are many pecan trees at that location today. Black students in the town of Kinder traveled by bus to this location.
1945 Kinder Training School was built and opened (1st -4th grades) in Kinder. This school was located next to the current Baptist church in Kinder. Some of the classes were actually held in the church until the building was completed. Students in grades 5th through 8th were bused to Pecan Grove. High school students were bused to Oakdale to Allen Training School. (Grades 9 &10)
1947/1949 Allen Parish opened grades 11 and 12 at all schools.
1951 Carver High School’s first graduation class. ( three students)
1953 during this year a gymnasium with additional class rooms was built. Construction was completed in August 1954 at a cost of $82,500.00.
1956/1957 Carver High School’s largest graduation class (33 students)
1957/1958 Jefferson Davis Parish opened Katie B. Thomas High School in Elton, Louisiana with grades above 10th grade. Students from Fenton and Elton areas transferred to that school.
1962 Allen Parish opened a school in Oberlin in the early 1960’s. This school consisted of grades 1st -10th. Adams High added grades 11th and 12th during the 1962-1963 school year. Black high schools in the Oberlin area transferred to from Kinder to the Adams High School at this time.
1967 An additional classroom building was constructed at a cost of $76,888.52. That building is currently in use by the Head Start Program. Other buildings were torn down during the 1970’s. The 1966-1967 school year was the last year that Mr. Long served as principal for the last two school terms.
1968/1969 The last graduation class at George Washington Carver High School. Ten students were in that class. Many students began transferring to Kinder High School before George Washington Carver High School was officially closed. The transferred students graduated from Kinder High School.
African American High Schools in Louisiana Before 1970 