Christiana School (Black)

CHRISTIANA SCHOOL BLACK 1890-1918 was in Christiana on the north side of the present Miller Street and across from the home of Joe McCrary. The land was given by Martha Miller for as long as it was used for school purposes.

Parents of the school children constructed the one-room building. The school term was for three months and subjects studied were the primer, counting, and spelling.

Among the teachers were John Howland in 1890; Prof. Robert T. Butler, Sr., in 1900; Eula Halliburton, Emma Lee Halliburton, Holbert Howland, and Miss Fuller, and Prof. A. J. Burns.

Early students were Gene Franklin, b. 1887; Martha Henry, Eva Mai Smith, and Lady Webb, b. l889 and a student in about 1894-96.

Prof. A. J. Burns led a drive for a Rosenwald school in the Twentieth District. In 1918 another school was built on the left of the present Brandon View Baptist Church.

CHRISTIANA SCHOOL BLACK 1918-1947 was on the east side of the present Miller Street in Christiana. It was on the north side of the present Brandon View Baptist Church. On September 16, 1918, W. S. Miller sold for thirty-five dollars a lot for the school. It was bounded by Brandon, Daniel, and Miller.

The building was at first one room and then two rooms. A kitchen was later built on the south side.

Grades included one through eight. Terms were five months in length.

Among the principals and teachers were Prof. A. J. Burns, who led the drive for Rosenwald funds, Mrs. John Newsome, Mrs. Lacey Martin, Miss Smith, Mrs. Henderson, India Thompson, Elizabeth Crutcher, Mrs. Jetton, Rev. William Murray, Miss Hatchett, Mrs. M. W. Coppage, Eula Halliburton, Emma Lee Halliburton, Kate Bright Newman, Mary Oglesby, and Mrs.
Willie C. Miller.

In 1943, under Mrs. Newman who taught the higher grades and Mrs. Coppage who taught the lower grades, enough students earned blue ribbons of healthful living to entitle the school to a certificate and trophy.

Susie Odell cooked for the students and also boarded teachers.

This school was replaced by CHRISTIANA SCHOOL BLACK on the Rucker-Christiana Road just west of its intersection with the Miller or Johnson Road.

The CHRISTIANA SCHOOL BLACK 1947-1962 was on the north side of the Christiana-Rucker Road and near its inter section with the Johnson or Miller Road. Mrs. Allie Nisbett and Mrs. Nannie T. Jackson sold the five acres to the Ruther ford County School Commission for a school. The deed was signed August 21, 1947.

The first building had three classrooms and was built of government used lumber. Frank Seales, Robert Frank Jordan, and Mark Jordan worked on the school as ex-servicemen in G. I. training. The building was of short duration.

The frame building was replaced in 1952 by a concrete block building with a front porch. Two large rooms, one with a stage, were on the left of a wide hail; two large rooms were on the right. The hall led to a kitchen and cafeteria with a separate outside entrance on the back right and restrooms on the back left. The building was heated by gas.

The first staff of teachers in the frame building consisted of William Butler, principal; Collier Woods, who brought his students from FOSTERVILLE SCHOOL BLACK; and Mrs. M. W. Coppage from the CHRISTIANA SCHOOL BLACK. The three-teacher school became a four-teacher school when the new concrete block building was constructed in 1952. At that time
Collier R. Woods, principal, John A. Lord, Mrs. M. W. Coppage, and Mrs. Willie C. Miller were teachers. John A. Lord and Mrs. R. B. Goodman later served as principals. Other teachers at this school were Margaret Butler and Mrs. Julia Butler.

Christiana School, November,2019

In 1952, terms were lengthened to nine months. WAYSIDE BLACK, MT. MORIAH BLACK, and HAPPY HILL SCHOOL BLACK had by this time been consolidated with the CHRISTIANA SCHOOL BLACK.

In 1962, the students and teachers were transferred to the new 231 SCHOOL BLACK on the Shelbyville Highway.

On October 27, 1962, Dr. J. Eldred Wiser bought the school property for his farm operation.

SOURCES: Deed Book 102, p. 146; Book 145, p. 117. “New 231 School Traces Its Beginning to Days after Reconstruction Period,” The Daily News Journal, Nov. 13, 1963, p. 6. Information from Mr. and Mrs. B. A. Odell, Embra McCrary, and Mr. A. J. Daniel. Interviews, June 8, 1979, with Fannie Davis, student; August 1980, with Lula Mai Webb Smith, b. 1911, a student; July 1979, with Andrew Miller who now owns the 1918-1947 school property; August 1980, with Hester Lowe Webb, b. 1915, a student.

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