ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Near Third Street and Franklin in St. Charles sits a building that shaped a generation.
“If you were a black person who lived in St. Charles, you went to Franklin School,” said Clyde Holliday, who attended Franklin Elementary for two years in the 1950’s before it closed.
Clyde is the brother of KSDK's Art Holliday.
Prior to Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark 1954 Supreme Court case, segregated schools were the law of the land in the United States.
For decades, Franklin School educated black students in St. Charles, elementary through high school.
Some African American students were bussed from as far away as 50 miles.
The building at 716 Third Street has seen better days and its fate is being determined.
The St. Charles School Districts no longer needs Franklin School for storage and plans to sell the property. A grass roots effort is underway to prevent the building from being torn down because of its historical significance. The class of 1955 was the last graduating class from Franklin School.
Thomas Stephenson of St. Charles is one of a dwindling number of living Franklin School graduates. His wife Mary is also a Franklin High School alum.
Saving Franklin School is personal for Stephenson, a former Franklin Bulldog basketball star who wasn’t allowed to compete against white athletes.
“We had a team that went to the national tournament in Durham, North Carolina, and placed third place,” said Stephenson, addressing the school board at a recent meeting. “I was lucky enough to be on the all-star team there and I want to say today that I’m the only that’s living of that team.”
Mary Harrison, a community activist in St. Charles, was at the same school board meeting.
“Students at Franklin had fewer learning resources and older textbooks than children in white schools,” Franklin said. “But Franklin had excellent teachers and principals. They overcame obstacles to provide Franklin students with a very solid education.”
Examining the history of Franklin School means revisiting America’s legalized racism.
“Back then in St. Charles, if you were African-American you couldn’t go to Saint Joseph Hospital, you couldn’t go to the show (movie theater), you couldn’t go to the swimming pool. That’s just the way it was in St. Charles,” said Holliday.
A spokesman for the St. Charles School District said it may be summer before the building is cleaned out and listed for sale.
“Personally, I would love to see the Franklin Elementary building repurposed and its history preserved,” said Dr. Jeff Marion, Superintendent of Schools. “Razing it would be a great loss to the community and its legacy should never be forgotten. I also believe, however, that the district cannot continue to spend money on the building after its current use has ended. We need to focus our funds on the needs of our current students."
Stephenson said he would hate to see the building demolished.
“I spent 12 good years here and graduated here,” said Stephenson. “It would really hurt me to see it tore down.”
