DOUGLASS SCHOOL

“The image of Douglass School as a symbol means different things to different people. Some see it as a symbol of pride in everything the black community has accomplished. Others see it as a symbol of segregation and inequality. For me, it is really both, and I hoped to find the right balance in the way it is portrayed.”
— Jim Kutz, Douglass Memorial Designer

A History Remembered

Many pieces of Parsons history, some believe, should have been preserved but were not. That task becomes increasingly difficult as time passes—buildings are razed, and those most closely connected to that history are no longer here to tell it.

Built in 1908 at 822 S. Central, Douglass School served the Black community in Parsons for 50 years before closing its doors. Today, little remains to attest to its existence beyond board meeting minutes, newspaper archives, and a handful of photographs, some of which are included here.

The Parsons Public Library houses collections by the late Quinzetta Brown, who documented historical details about both the school and the Black community in Parsons. Among these works are “Our Douglass,” “Did You Know?” and “Our Family and Friends 1947.” Brown, who died in 2018, compiled much of her information from a pamphlet written by Levi Watkins and distributed in 1943 to Douglass’s first graduating junior high class. That class included Raymond Brown, Lonelle Fisher, Walter Fisher, Earis Hopkins, Naomi Long, Frank Stewart, and Lillie Warren.

Prior to the creation of this memorial near the school’s former site, Parsons USD 503 also worked to preserve Douglass history. The district supported Dr. Jean Patterson of Wichita State University and a team of researchers in producing “An Oral History of Frederick Douglass School, Parsons, Kansas, 1908–1958.” The project included interviews with approximately 20 former students and family members.

Patterson’s curriculum vitae notes: “The Kansas Historical Society awarded $3,320 in April 2006 to complete the oral history of the all-Black Douglass School that was closed in 1958 and razed in 1962 (to 1963). The grant was a partnership between the Department of Educational Leadership, Parsons Historical Society, and Parsons USD 503.”

This memorial represents a continued effort by community members to preserve that history, offering access to photographs of documents, news coverage, and other archival materials.

Nearly 20 years have passed since those oral history interviews were conducted, and few former Douglass students remain. As with all recollections, memory is shaped by time, repeated storytelling, and personal perspective. To avoid confusion, accounts that conflicted with documented facts—such as the timeline of the school’s demolition—were omitted.

Henry Gatewood

Henry Gatewood was interviewed several months before his passing on Nov. 6, 2025, at age 84. He attended Douglass School from kindergarten through the first semester of eighth grade.

“Douglass was a lot of fun,” Gatewood said during an interview at his home.

He recalled teachers who encouraged students in both academic and extracurricular activities, along with assemblies and holiday programs where students recited poems or sang. Recess meant baseball, softball, football, and games like Red Rover.

“There were Halloween parties there every year, and rather than kids going trick or treating, all the grocery stores would furnish apples, oranges, candy and all this and we did games throughout the whole gymnasium.”

Gatewood emphasized the discipline and expectations placed on students.

“Teachers were strict to a point. You had to do your lessons. If you didn’t do your lessons your parents found out about it.”

He said education was consistently reinforced.

“All the teachers impacted our lives because all of them wanted you to be something. Couldn’t nobody tell you you can’t do nothing, because you can.”

He described Douglass as more than a school.

“It took a neighborhood to raise us at Douglass,” he said, recalling Sunday picnics, community gatherings, and ballgames that brought together families from Parsons and surrounding towns.

“As far as Douglass, it was an experience I would never give up in my life.”

Janice Eldon

Janice Fulton (Eldon) attended Douglass from kindergarten through fourth grade before the school closed.

“I had great times there,” she said. “The teachers knew the parents because we were in the same community. There wasn’t much any of us could get away with.”

Students’ lives extended beyond the classroom, with shared activities like Girl Scouts and community events.

“I learned a lot of crafts and learned how to sew. That’s what triggered me to want to be able to create things,” she said.

Eldon described a structured and disciplined learning environment that extended into the home.

“When I came home, I extended that learning because my mom would work with me to make sure I was doing everything I was supposed to be doing.”

She credited Douglass with preparing students well for integration into other schools.

“There was a thought process that we didn’t get the type of education the other kids got. I don’t say that is true at all,” she said.

Though saddened by the school’s closure, she remembered the transition as both emotional and formative.

Rev. Gerald Holland

“Douglass, I still think about it. Some of the memories,” Holland said. “The sad thing is we only went there for five years.”

Holland attended from 1953 until the school’s closure in 1958. He vividly remembered his teachers, principal, and classmates, as well as the strong sense of community.

“There was a lot of love there that I remember,” he said.

He described a disciplined environment where expectations were clear and enforced, but also one grounded in care and connection.

In later years, returning to the site has been difficult.

“When I drive by there it’s kind of sad to see the tree but not see the building,” he said.

He also reflected on the loss of school artifacts during demolition.

“I think that is probably the saddest thing in my memory about Douglass.”

Holland believes a memorial honoring the school is long overdue and suggests the building itself could have served as a historical destination.

The Decision to Close Douglass

While many associate the school’s closure with the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, desegregation had already begun in Parsons and nearby communities. Pittsburg, for example, closed its Black schools in 1950.

By the 1940s, the Parsons School Board had begun discussing declining enrollment in Douglass’s upper grades. In 1951, citing low attendance, the board eliminated ninth and 10th grades. Seventh and eighth grades followed in 1954.

By fall 1955, most schools in Parsons were fully integrated, with the exception of the Third Ward, where Douglass and McKinley were located.

Faced with declining enrollment and needed repairs, the board ultimately chose closure over renovation. The final step came in 1958, when all remaining students were integrated into other schools.

Contrary to popular belief, the building was not immediately demolished. It remained standing for several years, used for storage before being sold. Demolition began in 1962 and continued into 1963.

This Memorial

Designer Jim Kutz developed the memorial based on discussions with Parsons USD 503 Superintendent Lori Perkins, incorporating input from community members.

“The design of the memorial was inspired by architectural details of the original structure,” Kutz said.

With limited photographic references available, the design draws from historical images and personal recollections. Elements such as the building’s red brick and cupola were intentionally included to reflect its original character.

“The image of the school shown in the rendering is the final version used to produce the oval plaque (on the memorial), was based on the photo from the Buck Clayton collection” Kutz explained. “I thought it was important to show it.”

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