Our History
“Education was viewed as paramount to achieving the highest goals and honor for yourself, your family, and the African American community.”
Lincoln School opened in 1926 for black children in the West Plains, Missouri community. It served first through eighth graders under one roof, with one teacher instructing all the students. Any given year, there could be between fifteen and twenty-two children attending the one-room Lincoln School.
Lincoln School was the center of gravity for the African-American community it served. Its people faced poverty, the venom of racial tensions, and inadequate facilities and supplies. Still, Lincoln School was where young black children could feel loved and supported while being served a valuable education. This support and education helped these students reach the best versions of themselves, setting them up for greatness in adulthood, many through political leadership, military and war recognitions, and community leadership and servitude.
On May 17, 1954, the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling ended segregation in education systems, and in West Plains, Missouri, school leaders unanimously voted to desegregate the local schools. They quickly transferred Lincoln School students to Foster Elementary School and West Plains High School. At the same time, the ownership of Lincoln School was moved from the West Plains School System to the City of West Plains.
Although it was no longer needed for segregated education, Lincoln School remained open and served its community. In the 1950s and '60s, the Veterans of Foreign Wars in the United States used it to provide vital assistance to veterans.
In the late ‘60s through the ‘80s, Lincoln School was the home of the city’s Parks and Recreation 4H summer program for local children of all races.
Beginning in the 90s, Alcoholics Anonymous used Lincoln School to host its meetings for active recovery group sessions as local residents sought to better themselves through the AA program.
Lincoln School remained owned by the City of West Plains until July 2023, when Crockett Oaks III and his wife Tonya Oaks purchased it to restore and reopen it for new and beautiful purposes.
Photos by Gray Photography.