
{"id":938,"date":"2007-09-20T06:14:48","date_gmt":"2007-09-20T14:14:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/2007\/09\/20\/new-plans-for-lincoln\/"},"modified":"2007-09-20T06:14:48","modified_gmt":"2007-09-20T14:14:48","slug":"new-plans-for-lincoln","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/2007\/09\/20\/new-plans-for-lincoln\/","title":{"rendered":"New plans for Lincoln?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/lincoln1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/lincoln1.jpg\" height=\"118\" width=\"265\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>By Susan Dickson<\/strong><br \/>\nStaff Writer <\/em><\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Students have not attended Lincoln High since 1966, when schools were integrated and the all-black high school closed. But the building \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which now serves as the administrative offices for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools \u00e2\u20ac\u201c could reopen as a school in 2011, according to the district\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s capital investment plan through 2018.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>The training school became Northside Elementary when the older students moved to the new school.<\/p>\n<p>Esther McCauley, a member of the Lincoln High class of 1952, fondly recalls the sense of community surrounding the school.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We only had 29 people to graduate from our class,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d McCauley said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The teachers lived in our communities and the teachers attended our churches.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They not only knew their students, they knew the parents, where they lived,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she added.<\/p>\n<p>Other members of the community were deeply involved in the school as well, McCauley said.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We would raise money for almost all our activities,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said, adding that the community held fundraisers so that Lincoln High\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sports teams could have uniforms.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>When Lincoln High moved from the Northside location to the new school, the community was split up.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Since we were a small community, brothers and sisters were separated for the first time,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d McCauley said. The school was also a bit farther from home for many students.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I lived on Church Street, so it was walking distance for me,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. However, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Some neighborhoods would get together and send the kids in taxis.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Despite the separation, McCauley said she thought it was a good move for the high school students.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, the students\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 principal moved to the new school with them.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153He knew all the students,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d McCauley said. And the students knew him too.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We knew when he was coming down the hall by his footsteps,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she added. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He was a disciplinarian.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Forty-one years after Lincoln High closed, the building still stands, occupied by school administrators. Near the building\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s entrance, a display showcases the school\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s history with pictures and awards.<\/p>\n<p>The true history is remembered by those who attended.<\/p>\n<p>This summer, about 200 alumni of Lincoln High and Orange County Training School gathered for a reunion \u00e2\u20ac\u201c something they do every three years.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153People come from all over,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d McCauley said, citing alumni from California, New York and Texas who travel to recall memories of their school days.<\/p>\n<p>Although that chapter of Lincoln High\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s history has closed, another could soon begin.<br \/>\nThe Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education will tonight (Thursday) consider the district\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-schools"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=938"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/938\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}