8023 Dale Avenue

Before 1909, African-American children living in the Maplewood-Richmond Heights area had to walk several miles to Clayton to attend Crispus Attucks School for Colored Children. That changed when the parents of nine Black children successfully used Missouri law to petition the local school board for their own school. In response, the district rented a church on Dale Avenue and opened a one-room school for Black students. Named after Lincoln Institute (now Lincoln University) in Jefferson City, the school became known as the Lincoln School. Ezra Turner served as principal, and Harvey J. Simms, the school's first teacher, educated students in grades 1 through 8. At the time, the school was often referred to as the “Colored School on Dale.”

As the local Black population grew, so did the student body, placing strain on the modest facility. In 1916, a $100,000 bond issue allowed the district to purchase land at 8023 Dale Avenue and build a two-room school specifically for African-American children.

During the 1920s, three additional bond issues totaling $550,000 funded further expansion, including rental of additional nearby buildings on Dale Avenue. Eventually, a second and third unit were attached to the original Lincoln School, and a furnace, stoker, two additional classrooms, a basement playroom, and a restroom were added. The same bond was used to construct a new high school for white students, complete with a track, athletic equipment, and a field house, highlighting the disparity in resource allocation between white and Black schools.

By the early 1930s, it was clear that even the expanded Old Lincoln School could no longer meet the needs of the growing student population. In 1933, a new school, New Lincoln, was built for grades 5 through 8. Grades 1 through 4 remained at the old building. By 1939, enrollment at both Lincoln schools peaked at 254 students.

The Old Lincoln School continued to serve younger students until 1955, when all grades were consolidated into New Lincoln. Today, the site is occupied by a strip mall and hotel, but its legacy remains foundational to the history of Black education in the district.