Southgate Street School stood alone for decades
By Jim Reis of The Kentucky Post
A short article in a Cincinnati newspaper -- barely one paragraph long -- signaled a revolution in Newport with repercussions throughout Northern Kentucky.
The account on Aug. 1, 1866, reported the creation of a public school in Newport that would serve African-American students. This was at a time when the public funding of schools was still a matter of debate. Most schools shortly after the Civil War were private academies where parents had to pay for children to attend.
The new school would become known as the Southgate Street School. The building remains today along Southgate Alley, between Washington and Saratoga streets.
Appointed to the school board to oversee the school for black children were Burril Lumpkin, Beverly Lumpkin, Gus Adams, James Patterson and Washington Rippleton. Newport Mayor R. B. McCracken served as school board treasurer. The board included business people, ministers and a housewife.
All would not be smooth for the new board as the same account that noted the formation of the new board also mentioned a dispute between Adams and Beverly Lumpkin over the selection of officers. Both ended up in Mayor's Court and had to pay a fine.
The person eventually elected as board chairman was Washington Rippleton.
Rippleton later became active in local politics, serving in various capacities in the African-American chapter of the Republican Party. Most blacks at the time who got involved in politics were Republicans, due to their loyalty to Abraham Lincoln.
In the late 1800s candidates were chosen at county conventions and Rippleton was among the delegates to a Republican county convention in Alexandria, held in July 1891. That same year Rippleton was appointed to the executive committee of the Colored Republican Party Club.
The next year Rippleton was elected club president and as such he attended conventions throughout the state and across the Midwest. This would lead to opposition from some white Republicans, who were upset that an African-American was being sent to some out-of-town meetings representing both white and black voters.
A letter to citizens printed May 13, 1892, and signed "Colored Citizens" attacked what it called erroneous stories about Rippleton and others, especially one charge that they were forming special clubs to conspire against Newport's white citizens.
The black Republican club, meanwhile, continued to grow under Rippleton's leadership. The Newport-based Kentucky State Journal newspaper noted on July 19, 1892, that the club had more than 80 members.
That same year Rippleton and N.W. Lumpkin were appointed delegates to a convention of the state Republican Party in Lexington.
Rippleton died in May 1911 at the age of 69. His cause of death was listed as Bright's Disease. Named after a London doctor, Bright's Disease was the common term at the time for inflammation of the kidneys.
While it was common at the time for local newspapers to note the deaths of white people, it was not as common to see notices of deaths of African-Americans. Rippleton was an exception. His death notice said he had been a "gagger" in government service, listing his residence at 1112 West Southgate St. The writer also noted he had been ill only a short time.
A "gagger" was a person who checked scales at groceries and other businesses to make sure the instruments were accurate.
Rippleton and his wife, Louise, had four children, Benjamin, Dollie, Matilda and William.
The original school set up for African-American students in Newport was staffed by the Freedmen's Bureau and the Missionary Aid Association. The Newport school likely opened in September 1867.
Ted Harris, a local historian who has done much research on the Newport school, said the exact location of the first school in Newport is not clear. Accounts, however, indicate there were 27 children attending in Newport.
A major push for more state funding for schools for African-American students came in 1873. That Feb. 8 black citizens of Newport held a meeting at the county courthouse to marshal support. Part of the reason for the rally was to select a local committee to attend an educational convention in February 1873 in Louisville.
Washington Rippleton was among those chosen to attend. Others were William Lumpkin, Isaac Hewson, B. Lumpkin, Lawrence Toliver, Jacob Davis, Samuel Fairbush, Reben Wright, Robert Littleton, Dennis Lightfoot, Henry Sanders and Charles W. M. Johnson.
Next to Rippleton, the best known of those early black pioneers was probably Johnson. Born in Hannibal, Mo., Johnson came to Newport as a young boy and became active in social causes in addition to education and politics. In politics he also was active in the Republican Party, being elected club vice president in 1891.
Johnson also made headlines in the Kentucky State Journal on Jan. 9, 1892, when he helped lead a protest at Sixth and Columbia streets in Newport over a state Railroad Commission proposal calling for the separation of passengers by race on trains. Protesters signed a letter opposing railway segregation. In addition to Johnson, those signing the petition were George Ozler, N. Neblett, W. M. Moore, Thornton Davis, D. Herskins, Ed Taylor, Charles Crump and J. W. Clack.
Johnson also gave the commencement address to the first graduating class at Southgate Street School. Johnson and his wife, Sarah, also lived on Southgate Street.
The first teacher at Southgate Street School was Elizabeth Hudson. She apparently taught all eight grades at the school from 1873 to 1878. Another teacher was added in 1878 with the faculty growing to three in 1892 and four in 1900. An account in the book "Newport, Kentucky -- A Bicentennial History" says enrollment at the school jumped from 55 in 1880 to 125 in 1900.
The first school commencement at which Johnson spoke did not come until 1893, apparently because many students had to work to help support their families and could not afford the luxury of spending most of the day in classes.
An early principal at Southgate Street School was Charles D. Horner. He was followed by Francis M. Russell, who was principal from 1904-1908. W.S. Blanton served as principal from 1909-1921, followed by Nora H. Ward from 1921-1940 and Charles L. Harris from 1940-1953.
African-American students began transferring to other public schools in Newport in 1955. A Kentucky Post account on Sept. 7, 1955, said 27 African-American students were entering Newport High School that year with 30 others enrolling in the middle school and 15 in kindergarten. A Post account said Newport was among the first schools in the state to comply in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
Since Southgate Street School at the time did not have a high school unit, most of the high school transfers probably came from William Grant High School, which was the school for African-American students in Covington. William Grant High School would continue to operate until 1965.
The high school section at Southgate Street School was begun in the early 1900s and closed in 1921 for lack of enough students to offer a full range of courses.
After Newport schools were integrated, the building housing the former school became a site for meetings of Masonic Lodge No. 120.
In more recent times there have been efforts to refurbish the building. A state historical marker was dedicated at the school building site on Oct. 6, 2001.
Southgate Street would be the only public school for African-American students in Campbell County until integration.
The study of Northern Kentucky history is an avocation of staff writer Jim Reis, who covers suburban Kenton County for The Kentucky Post.
The original article is from The Kentucky Post and can be found here