Lincoln School (Canton, Missouri)

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Lincoln School in Canton, Missouri, was a school for African-American children in the area. Built in 1880 on land now part of Martin Park, it served students from first through eighth grade until 1955, closing after the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

Before Lincoln School, African-American education in Canton began in 1866 in a former post office, moved to the African Methodist Episcopal church in 1870, and sometimes included adults who paid a small monthly fee. In 1880, the community approved funds for a new colored school. The brick building, 42 by 24 feet, had thick walls and a limestone foundation. It flooded from the nearby Mississippi River, and its wooden floor was later replaced with concrete. The first teacher was M. L. Clay, who earned $35 a month and also taught night classes for adults. The school did not have indoor toilets or electricity until 1924.

From 1946 to 1955, African-American students in high school grades were bused about 40 miles south to Hannibal for classes. Lincoln School ended in 1955, with the final year of teaching led by Mrs. Birdie Nickerson. Afterward, the building was used for storage and fell into disrepair.

The school was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and in 1995 the district donated it to the City of Canton. A local nonprofit, the Lincoln School Restoration Association, now works to restore the building. A commemorative plaque and an interpretive sign explain the history, but the site is not open to the public while restoration continues.

In popular culture, Lincoln School inspired the fictional Douglass School in Eleanora Tate’s Nutbush stories; Tate, a Canton native, attended first grade there in its final year.