Douglass High School

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Exterior shot of Douglass High School on Feb. 20, 2011, in Huntington.

 The Herald-Dispatch file photo.

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In 1891, Huntington built its first school for Black youngsters, a
 six-room brick structure on the corner of 8th Avenue and 16th
 Street (now Hal Greer Boulevard). The school building, which
 cost $15,000 to erect, was named for abolitionist leader
 Frederick Douglass. It housed all grades, 1 through
 12, with the first class graduating in 1893. As the
 school’s enrollment grew, more
 rooms were added.

By 1919, the school’s enrollment in its high school classes had
 grown to 120 students, and plans were made to construct a
 new building to house the junior and senior classes. When
 the new building was built (1924-26) at 10th Avenue
 and Bruce Street, the Douglass name was transferred
 to it and the first Douglass building was renamed
 Barnett Elementary, honoring Dr. C.C. Barnett,
 a well-known local Black leader. Long vacant
 and disused, Barnett Elementary was
 demolished in 1994. Today, an
 auto parts store stands
 on the site.

Appointed principal of the new school in 1925, Henry Davis Hazelwood
served until his retirement in 1949. Under Hazelwood, Douglass
 emerged as a first-class high school, gaining accreditation from
 the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges in
1927. Over the years, the school fielded a band and
 varsity athletic teams, developed choirs and
 dramatic activities, and brought numerous
 speakers and performers
 to the community.

Douglass High School closed in 1961 after the integration
of public schools in West Virginia. In its two locations,
 the school existed for70 years — 33 years as a
 combined elementary-secondary institution
 and 37 years as a junior and senior high
 school. During those decades, Douglass
 touched the lives of most of Huntington’s
 Black families and educated nearly
 four generations of their children.

In 1985, the vintage-1920s school building was added to the
 National Register of Historic Places. Still standing, it now
 houses Ebenezer Medical Outreach and other offices.

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Note:  This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on March 25, 2025.

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