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The Ville, Northside, Riverview
Colored School # 9 - Garnet Elementary School
5339 Bulwer Avenue
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Not open to public
This 120 seat school opened in 1877 as Colored school #9 at Bellefontaine Road and O'Fallon Ave. in North Saint Louis. By 1885, the Garnet school had moved to Bulwer Ave. near Adelaide Ave. Portable buildings were added in 1906-07. The school closed in 1938.
In 1890 it was renamed for the Reverend Henry Highland Garnett, a former slave who became a minister and active member of the American AntiSlavery Society. In 1843, at the National Convention of Colored People in Buffalo, NY, he issued a radical call for slaves to revolt. The convention voted down his motion, which was opposed by another influential leader, Frederick Douglass. Pastor of several prominent churches in New York City and Washington, DC, Garnet also spent several years as a missionary in Jamaica. In 1881, he became United States minister to Liberia.
SOURCE: The historical information presented on this page is adapted with permission from Discovering African American St. Louis: A Guide to Historic Sites by Dr. John A. Wright, Sr. We are honored to share his invaluable research and historical insights, made available through the generous consent of Dr. Wright and the Missouri Historical Society Press. Their dedication to preserving and celebrating the rich legacy of Black St. Louis is a gift to our community—a testament to those who came before us and a guide for those who walk the path forward.
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5339 Bulwer Avenue