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Lincoln School History

Lincoln School was established in 1874 and gave black children in the area an education up to 8th grade.  State law required that a school must be created for African American children “if 15 or more eligible students reside in the school district.”  Kirksville reached this number in 1874 and held classes in various locations until 1877 when a double city lot was donated to the Kirksville School District.  The first school building was a white wooden structure in an “L shape” that had several long wooden shutters.  Behind the building a whitewashed privacy fence surrounded a playground.  This wooden building was used for 37 years.  

In 1910 the Kirksville School Board saw the need to build a new high school for the white population. In 1913 the Board asked voters to approve a bond issue for the construction of a large, three-story brick high school. Not wanting to neglect the African American population, they requested that $3500 be added for a brick building to replace the wooden building. In January 1914 voters approved the bond issue. The new brick building was completed in 1914.

This building served the Black population up to 8th grade.  This building was used until 1954, when segregation was officially ended.  The building was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 2017.