E. J. Campbell School
Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Until it closed in 1970, the year Nacogdoches schools fully integrated, the E. J. Campbell School at this site served African American students from the town and surrounding area. The school opened in 1903 at a time when the need was evident for new educational facilities to serve growing African American communities of the area. Originally named the Nacogdoches Colored School, it was renamed for longtime principal E. J. Campbell in 1937. Like many other communities at the time, Nacogdoches and its educational institutions were segregated in accordance with state and federal laws. Officially, these facilities were to be "separate but equal," although in reality they often lagged behind in terms of financial support and education opportunities. The original school, a simple four-room schoolhouse, became a central educational and social meeting place for African American communities in Nacogdoches County. Students came from miles around to attend the new school, which continued to grow over the subsequent decades. Significantly, beginning with principal Campbell's term, and under his direction, high school students regularly visited Prairie View Normal School (later Prairie View A&M University) to learn of higher education opportunities available to them. At one point, more than two-thirds of the students graduating from the E. J. Campbell School went on to attend college and excel in a number of professional fields. Notably, many of the students became certified as teachers at Prairie View and returned to work in the Nacogdoches school district. (2014)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Opened in 1903 as the Nacogdoches Colored School and renamed in 1937 for longtime principal E. J. Campbell, this school served African American students from the town and surrounding countryside under Texas's 'separate but equal' segregation laws, which in practice left Black schools underfunded. Beginning under Campbell, students regularly visited Prairie View Normal School to glimpse the possibilities of higher education, and the results were remarkable: at one point more than two-thirds of graduates went on to college, many returning as certified teachers. The school served its community until Nacogdoches fully integrated in 1970.
Why it matters
The school stands as testimony to how a segregated Black community built a pipeline to college and the professions in defiance of unequal conditions, shaping generations of Texas teachers and leaders.
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Related people
- · E. J. Campbell
Themes & tags
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