New Historical Marker Commemorates Legacy Of African-American School In Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem is honoring the legacy of a school that served the city's African-American students with a special marker preserving the 14th Street School's place in history.

The school was completed in the mid-1920s, and it grew quickly. A decade later, over 1,000 African-American students filled the classrooms.

Sylvia Conrad knew the place well. She attended 14th Street, and her father was a teacher there. She remembers the front porch of the building, the "real food" at the cafeteria, and how the school served as the voting precinct for the neighborhood.

Conrad was part of a group of alumni who petitioned for the historical designation. She says the school's legacy is worth remembering.

“During the late '30s and '40s a lot of African-American children didn't have the opportunity to attend school," she says. "So when this school was built, their parents, who were less educated, wanted to make sure their children received a good education.”

The 14th Street School closed in 1973 shortly after integration and was later torn down.