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<div>Founded in 1867 in the basement of Lakeside Methodist Episcopal Church on Jefferson Street, the school was moved to a frame building on this site in 1892. The first diplomas were granted in 1912. A brick structure replaced the original building in 1927. This neighborhood was known as "The Grove" and was a strong African-American business district.</div><div> Councill High School served African-American students grades 7-12 during the years of segregation in the public school system. Graduates of Councill High have fond memories of their time spent there and of the devoted educators who made their careers at Councill. Huntsville City Schools began integration in 1963. In 1965, the school was integrated along with the other city high schools. In 1966, the school was closed and its students consolidated into other city high schools.&nbsp; Today, the W.H. Councill High site is under development to become a community park.&nbsp;</div>

W.H. Councill High School at the time of its closing in 1966.

The W.H. Councill High School in 1915. This frame building was replaced in 1927 with a new brick school building. 

William Hooper Councill, the school's namesake. 

Ms. Marguerite Dobbins Lacey was a teacher at Council High School.

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W.H. Councill High Sesquicentennial (150th) memories slideshow

Video

Former students and teachers share memories of W.H. Councill High. (Part 1)

Former students and teachers share memories of W.H. Councill High. (Part 2)

Councill High School was the first public school for African-Americans in the city of Huntsville when it opened in 1892. Councill High was the only high school available to African-American students until the integration of public high schools in 1965. The school was named for William Hooper Councill, founder of Alabama A&M University and noted African-American educator. Today, the City of Huntsville in cooperation with the William Hooper Councill Alumni Association is developing the school site as a community park. 

William Hooper Councill High School Site

This tour is an example of a Huntsville black history driving tour or civil rights era driving tour, using existing Clio entries. We hope to create a more extensive and detailed tour with RCCR Phase 2.

St. Barley Primitive Baptist Church dates back to&nbsp;1808, when&nbsp;enslaved persons in Huntsville began holding religious meetings. The congregation met at a variety of locations, including a graveyard where slaves were buried beyond the city limits. The congregation also went by several names, such as the African Huntsville Church, and owing to its longevity it is regarded as&nbsp;Alabama's oldest Black church. &nbsp; Southern whites passed many laws barring&nbsp;African Americans from holding their own meetings owing to fears of rebellion, so the church's service was held at night. These meetings mixed Bible study with a chance for members to&nbsp;freely share their religious beliefs which often mixed Biblical stories of deliverance and reflected their desire for slavery to end. Although precise numbers are difficult to determine, the&nbsp;congregation grew quickly and sources indicate&nbsp;265 members in 1840 and 432 members in 1849. Even though the association was ran by white people, they allowed a degree of independence. After the Civil War, the church was destroyed by fire during the Union occupation in the area. The building&nbsp;was reconstructed in 1872 after securing funds from the Southern Claims Commission, a fund established by&nbsp;Congress that offered compensation for the loyal Southerners who had lost property during the war. While there is now a current building named St. Bartley Primitive Baptist Church in honor of the historical church, this monument is directly dedicated to the church and those who attended since it was built in 1808.

This marker commemorates the oldest African American congregation in Alabama. William Harris organized the congregation in 1820 and served as the minister despite his enslavement. After the Civil War, the congregation built a brick church at this location. The church stood from 1872 to 1964 when the congregation constructed a new church on Belafonte Avenue. During the Civil War, the congregation assisted many former slaves as they attempted to emancipate themselves. The church, like many other Huntsville buildings, was destroyed during the war during the Union occupation of the city. The church was eligible for assistance from the Southern Claims Commission which was established during the Civil War to compensate Southern Unionists for their losses during the war. 

Saint Bartley Primitive Baptist Church Historical Marker

Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University was established in 1873. The University was initially called the State Normal School and University for the Education of the Colored Teachers and Students. The school underwent several name changes and focus areas through the years. In 1896 the school became the State Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes. In 1969, the school finally received its name as the&nbsp;Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University.&nbsp;AAMU began first as an undergraduate institution. In 1939, the State Board of Education allowed AAMU to offer graduate education. Today, the University contains five undergraduate schools as well as several graduate level degree programs.&nbsp;In 1996 the newly appointed University President Dr. John T. Gibson authorized significant renovation to the campus. He led the construction of the West Campus Complex, Louis Crews Stadium, and the School of Engineering and Technology.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University was first established in 1873 as a university for the education of African American students. After several name changes, the school was not fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools until 1963. The campus underwent significant renovation in 1996 under the organization of University President Dr. John T. Gibson. Today the school offers five undergraduate schools as well as graduate study. 

Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University

Dred Scott was born in Southampton, Virginia and was known as “Sam”
as a youngster. He later changed his name to Dred Scott. Peter Blow purchased Scott who lived here on Blow's plantation as well as Florence, Alabama. In 1832, the Blow family sold Scott to John Emerson, a surgeon in the
U.S. Army and moved to Illinois and later Wisconsin. When Emerson died, his
widow, Irene Emerson, refused to give Scott his freedom. With the help of his wife Harriet and abolitionists, Scott&nbsp;sued for his freedom. While Peter and Elizabeth Blow had passsed away, the Scotts were assisted by Taylor and Henry Blow,&nbsp;the sons of Dred Scott's&nbsp;former&nbsp;owners. He was also assisted by Black clergy and other influential Black leaders.&nbsp;

After working its way up through the court system and appeal
process, new attorneys helped Scott get to the Supreme Court filing against
Irene Emerson’s brother, who was the executor of the estate. The Supreme Court
ruled 7-2 against Scott and this helped set the stage for the Civil War.&nbsp;The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Dred Scott and said that no people of African descent, free or slave, could sue in the courts of the United States. The decision galvanized public opinion and demonstrated the connection between slavery and race as it denied the rights of citizenship to people of color in the United States regardless of their legal status. Scott was emancipated in 1857 thanks in part to the actions of Taylor Blow. Scott died on September 17, 1858, and Taylor Blow purchased a cemetery lot in St.
Louis where his body was laid to rest.&nbsp;Oakwood College includes several small plaques denoting the location of slave cabins and a cemetery where enslaved persons were buried decades prior to the establishment of the university in 1896. This historical marker which offers a history of the college also mentions the significance of the history of this land as a former plantation where Dred Scott lived as an enslaved laborer for a family that later helped secure his freedom.&nbsp;

This historical marker shares the history of Oakwood College which was established in 1896. The college was located at the site of a former plantation that included Dred Scott, the enslaved laborer who sued for his freedom in the influential 1857 Supreme Court case that divided the nation in the years prior to the Civil War. Scott came to Huntsville in 1818 and lived on the plantation of Peter and Elizabeth Taylor Blow before the family moved to Florence. The property later served as the plantation of slave cabins on the property served as housing for the first Oakwood students while Blow's mansion served as the home of the first female students. Dred Scott lived in Alabama for twelve years. Later in his life, Dred Scott was sold and accompanied his owner to states where slavery was illegal. Scott's time in a free state became the basis of one of the most influential Supreme Court decisions in American history. 

Oakwood College Historical Marker and Dred Scott

The city of Huntsville paid artist Casey Downing $46,000 to
create the statue. The idea to put a memorial in Huntsville is credited to
Civil Rights activist, Dr. John Cashin. 

Following their service in the Spanish-American War, the
Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry were encamped at Cavalry Hills in
Huntsville and commanded by Army legend “Black Jack” Pershing.&nbsp; 

The historical marker at the site has the following
inscription:

“After the Civil War, the future of
African-Americans in the United States Army was in doubt. In July 1866, Congress
passed legislation establishing two cavalry and four infantry regiments to be
made up of African-American soldiers. The mounted regiments (9th and 10th
Cavalries) conducted campaigns against Native-American tribes on the Western
Frontier, where they were nicknamed “Buffalo Soldiers” by Native-Americans.
Their service also included subduing Mexican revolutionaries, outlaws, and
rustlers, and building frontier outposts, roads and telegraph lines. In 1898,
the Buffalo Soldiers were sent to Cuba to participate in the Spanish-American
War. They fought alongside Teddy Roosevelt in the charge up San Juan Hill. 

After the Buffalo Soldiers finished
service in the Spanish-American War, one of the four regiments returned to the
U.S., serving first in New York and then in Huntsville. They were sent to
Huntsville's Monte Sano to escape the scourge of yellow fever and to recuperate
from wounds and other diseases they brought back from the war. After an
incident between Black and white soldiers, African-American and white troops
were separated. The Buffalo Soldiers were moved to what is now known as 10th
Cavalry Hill, named by the residents of the area.”

The only Buffalo Soldier memorial east of the Mississippi River is located in Huntsville, Alabama. It’s on the property of the Academy of Academics and Arts. The memorial is a 10-foot-tall marker of Black granite topped with a bronze statue depicting 10th Cavalry Sgt. George Berry riding his horse up Cuba’s San Juan Hill with the regimental flag. 

RCCR Demo Tour

William Hooper Councill High School Site

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information