The building in 2017

The Massie School, also referred to as the Massie Common School, opened in 1856 as the first public school in Savannah, Georgia, in the original chartered public school system in the American South. Located on Calhoun Square, at 201–213 East Gordon Street, construction of the original schoolhouse began in 1855 with invested funds from Scottish immigrant Peter Massie, who intended his investment be used for the creation of a free school for Savannah's poor children.[1] The Massie School, with the exception of a temporary utilization by Union troops as a hospital during the American Civil War, and then briefly being a Freedmen's school,[2] remained in use until the school closed to traditional instruction in 1974. The Massie Heritage Center occupies the original schoolhouse footprint and serves as a museum. The Massie Heritage Center is the oldest continuously operating public school house in Georgia.[3]

Construction

In 1841, Peter Massie (1765–1840), a Scottish planter who resided in Glynn County, Georgia, bequeathed $5,000 to the City of Savannah, with the request that the money be invested until the return had accrued an amount required to fund the construction of a school for the underserved children of the city.[4] The money was invested in railroad and gas company stocks of the Central Rail Road and Canal Company and the Savannah Gas Light Company until 1855, when the city hired the successful New York architect John S. Norris to design and oversee the construction process of the school.[5]

Norris built the central schoolhouse with Savannah gray brick in the Greek Revival style he had previously used for the U.S. Custom House, which originally brought him to the city in 1846.[6][7] In 1856, construction of the central schoolhouse building was completed and welcomed 150 students and three teachers in the first semester.[8] Enrollment grew to 240 students by the end of the first school year.[9] The school was progressively co-ed, but students were separated by gender in the classroom and by independent outdoor spaces, each with their own outhouse.[10]

In 1872, architect John Hogg designed the plans for the east annex and later, in 1886, the west wing was added. Both of the facades of the flanking buildings replicate Norris' original design.[11]

Civil War

When General Sherman and his army of 60,000 Union soldiers captured Savannah in December 1864, the school was temporarily closed to students and converted into a hospital for his troops. The school made for an ideal hospital location due to its size and the powerful coal burning furnace in the building's basement which brought heat throughout the building. The tactical Union Naval blockade of the Savannah River[12] prevented vital supplies from making its way to Confederate troops in Savannah, including coal. This resulted in the occupying troops burning other readily available materials for heat, like school furniture, irreparably breaking the furnace.[13]

Freedmen School

In May 1865, the school briefly operated as a Freedmen school. These efforts were led by Reverend S. W. Magill, using teachers from the American Missionary Association.[14] The school hosted recently emancipated slaves until mass enrollment necessitated expanding the program and relocating to several churches and other locations formerly operated by the Savannah Education Association.[15] The Massie School was re-designated as a white school in October of the same year,[16] maintaining that status until public school integration in the 1960's.

Closing

Savannah's population was expanding and with the increase of available public schools, the Massie School officially closed at the end of the 1974 school year, citing the continued expenses being unsustainable against decreasing enrollment numbers.[17] In 1975, Emma Adler, a Savannah native and wife of fellow preservationist Lee Adler,[18] collaborated with former Savannah School Board president Saxon Pope Bargeron to develop a plan for the obsolete school house.[19] Adler and Bargeron created the Friends of Massie Committee to restore and maintain the integrity of the grounds and buildings, and to create a heritage education program.[20] The research performed by Adler and Bargeron revealed the rich history of the site, and in November 1976, Bargeron nominated the Massie Common School building to be listed with the National Register of Historic Places, which it officially received in April 1977.[21]

Massie School Heritage Center

In 1978, the Massie School Heritage Center was opened bringing forward the education program developed by the Friends of Massie Committee and the Chatham County Public School Board. The program includes the recreation of a 19th-century schoolroom, and interactive exhibits to educate visitors on the city's history through the lenses of the public education system, local coastal culture, the civil rights movement, and iconic architectural styles in Savannah.[22] The Massie Heritage Center is still managed and maintained by Chatham County Public Schools and is open to the public, serving over 10,000 students per year.[23]

References

  1. ↑ "Massie Common School funding". The Daily Constitutionalist and Republic. 1858-11-30. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  2. ↑ Few, Jenel. "Massie opens exhibit on local African-American education history". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  3. ↑ Mobley, Chuck. "Massie School gets set for May Day". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  4. ↑ "Massie Common School House Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  5. ↑ "Massie Heritage Center". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Custom House, Savannah, GA". www.gsa.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  7. ↑ "ARCHITECT: JOHN NORRIS". issuu. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  8. ↑ "Then and Now: Massie Heritage Center". WSAV-TV. 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  9. ↑ "Massie Heritage Center Exhibit - Heritage Classroom". www.sccpss.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  10. ↑ "Massie Heritage Center Massie History and What we Have to Offer". www.sccpss.com. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  11. ↑ "Massie Heritage Center, Savannah Georgia". www.n-georgia.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  12. ↑ "Union Blockade and Coastal Occupation in the Civil War". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  13. ↑ "Massie Heritage Center Massie History and What we Have to Offer". www.sccpss.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  14. ↑ "Massie Common School House - Georgia Historical Markers on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  15. ↑ Green, Dr. Hilary; Hébert, Dr. Keith S. "Historic Resource Study of African American Schools in the South, 1865–1900" (PDF). National Park Service - US Department of the Interior.
  16. ↑ "Massie Heritage Center Exhibit - Heritage Classroom". www.sccpss.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  17. ↑ "Fun things to do in Savannah GA - Massie Heritage Interpretation Museum". savannahgavisitors.com. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  18. ↑ "Savannah visionary and historic preservationist dies". WSAV-TV. 2020-07-14. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  19. ↑ "Massie Heritage Center Friends of Massie History". www.sccpss.com. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  20. ↑ "Saxon Bargeron sworn in as Chatham county's first and only female Superior Court judge". The Atlanta Constitution. 1979-01-05. p. 40. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  21. ↑ "NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM". National Park Service. October 4, 2023.
  22. ↑ Staff Writer (2022-03-15). "Massie Heritage Center: Your First Stop in Georgia's First City - Savannah". Savannah, GA | Savannah.com. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  23. ↑ Sammons, Tania June. "Beyond the Classroom". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 2023-10-04.

32°04′13″N 81°05′33″W / 32.07025°N 81.09243°W / 32.07025; -81.09243

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