After 1863, members of the formerly enslaved communities in Cherokee County invested in building educational institutions. This included the founding of several schools: Burnt House Ridge, Briar Patch, Mineral Springs, Sardis, Free Negro, Olive Vine, Hickory Log, Hickory Flat, Bethel, Toonigh, St. Luke, Ball Ground High, Woodstock, Nelson, and Canton Junior and High School.

Canton Junior High School was located on Crisler Street in the Stumptown Community. The school was located in a two-story building that held classes for its elementary school students on the lower floor and its junior high school students on the upper floor. Mr. and Mrs. Burge served as the principals and teachers at the school which provided education to students in the first through seventh grades. A park now sits where the school was housed. However, there is a marker composed of materials from the original school building which commemorates Canton Junior High's existence. In the photo above, Canton Junior High students of various grade levels are pictured with Principal Burge and Miss McCormack who served as the Home Economics teacher.

The Ralph J. Bunche School began as the Cherokee County Training School. In 1947, the public schools of Cherokee County were consolidated, and a transportation program was developed to bus children to schools. After this time, the Cherokee County Training School served as the sole public school for African Americans in Cherokee County. It provided K-12 education for the residents of the South Canton, Pea Ridge, Waleska, Woodstock, Nineteen, and Nelson communities. In 1967 the school was renamed as the Ralph J. Bunche School. Under the leadership of Principal H. A. Bell, the Ralph J. Bunche School served as a gathering place for African American communities and instilled in its students that they were valued and cared for. Below are the pictures of various artifacts observed during a visit to the present-day Ralph J. Bunche Center.