By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
More than 40 years ago, Lincoln High School closed its doors to students. But the memories of the tight-knit community that the school once housed have not been forgotten.
Students have not attended Lincoln High since 1966, when schools were integrated and the all-black high school closed. But the building – which now serves as the administrative offices for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools – could reopen as a school in 2011, according to the district’s capital investment plan through 2018.
The history of the old school runs deep. Lincoln High opened at the Merritt Mill Road location in 1951, and served black students in grades 7 through 12. Before the school on Merrit Mill was built, Lincoln High was located at the Orange County Training School, where younger students attended school as well.
The training school became Northside Elementary when the older students moved to the new school.
Esther McCauley, a member of the Lincoln High class of 1952, fondly recalls the sense of community surrounding the school.
“We only had 29 people to graduate from our class,†McCauley said. “The teachers lived in our communities and the teachers attended our churches.â€
“They not only knew their students, they knew the parents, where they lived,†she added.
Other members of the community were deeply involved in the school as well, McCauley said.
“We would raise money for almost all our activities,†she said, adding that the community held fundraisers so that Lincoln High’s sports teams could have uniforms.
The school had no shortage of activities, with football, French club, baseball, cheerleading, safety patrol, intramural sports and more, and the community was always there to support the school, McCauley said.
When Lincoln High moved from the Northside location to the new school, the community was split up.
“Since we were a small community, brothers and sisters were separated for the first time,†McCauley said. The school was also a bit farther from home for many students.
“I lived on Church Street, so it was walking distance for me,†she said. However, “Some neighborhoods would get together and send the kids in taxis.â€
Despite the separation, McCauley said she thought it was a good move for the high school students.
Plus, the students’ principal moved to the new school with them.
Charles McDougle, for whom McDougle Middle and Elementary schools are named, served as principal of Orange County Training School and later as principal of Lincoln High.
“He knew all the students,†McCauley said. And the students knew him too.
“We knew when he was coming down the hall by his footsteps,†she added. “He was a disciplinarian.â€
Forty-one years after Lincoln High closed, the building still stands, occupied by school administrators. Near the building’s entrance, a display showcases the school’s history with pictures and awards.
The true history is remembered by those who attended.
This summer, about 200 alumni of Lincoln High and Orange County Training School gathered for a reunion – something they do every three years.
“People come from all over,†McCauley said, citing alumni from California, New York and Texas who travel to recall memories of their school days.
Although that chapter of Lincoln High’s history has closed, another could soon begin.
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education will tonight (Thursday) consider the district’s 10-year capital investment plan, which includes possible future uses of the Lincoln Center. Possibilities include an alternative school, a pre-kindergarten center or a neighborhood elementary school.