E. J. Campbell School

Campbell led the school for 27 years. The Daily Sentinel says he became principal of the Nacogdoches Colored School in 1910, when it had one four-room building and 125 students, and that by his death it had 17 rooms and 900 students. He started programs in home economics, agriculture, manual training and health, formed the Black Dragon athletic organization and the first Black marching band and orchestra in East Texas, and held an "Off to College Night" that sent students to Prairie View on a 2 a.m. train. He died March 6, 1937.

What the plaque says

E. J. Campbell School Until it closed in 1970, the year Nacogdoches schools fully integrated, the E. J. Campbell School at this site served African American students from the town and surrounding area. The school opened in 1903 at a time when the need was evident for new educational facilities to serve growing African American communities of the area. Originally named the Nacogdoches Colored School, it was renamed for longtime principal E. J. Campbell in 1937. Like many other communities at the time, Nacogdoches and its educational institutions were segregated in accordance with state and federal laws. Officially, these facilities were to be "separate but equal," although in reality they often lagged behind in terms of financial support and education opportunities. The original school, a simple four-room schoolhouse, became a central educational and social meeting place for African American communities in Nacogdoches County. Students came from miles around to attend the new school, which continued to grow over the subsequent decades. Significantly, beginning with principal Campbell's term, and under his direction, high school students regularly visited Prairie View Normal School (later Prairie View A&M University) to learn of higher education opportunities available to them. At one point, more than two-thirds of the students graduating from the E. J. Campbell School went on to attend college and excel in a number of professional fields. Notably, many of the students became certified as teachers at Prairie View and returned to work in the Nacogdoches school district. (2014)

Where it stands

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