The Town of Orange Park invites you to join in a celebration of a special piece of Orange Park history, the unveiling of a historical marker in honor of the Orange Park Normal and Industrial School. The dedication ceremony will take place at Town Hall in the Council Chambers. The program begins at 10 a.m. Monday morning and will conclude with the unveiling of the marker and light refreshments. This is a free event.
The Orange Park Normal and Industrial School opened in October of 1891, and was the only place in Florida where both black and white students were educated under the same roof. The school stood where Town Hall is currently. One of the primary missions of the school was to train black teachers.
The school was racially integrated 60 years before Brown v. Board of Education.
“We do not refuse anyone on account of race,”
~Orange Park Normal and Industrial School principal Amos W. Farnham.
In 1895, the Florida Superintendent of Schools lobbied to make it illegal for whites to teach blacks and vice versa as well as having integrated classrooms of students. As a result of the legislation, indictments and arrest warrants were issued for the principal, 5 teachers and others. The school closed its doors around 1911 when the chapel burned down. Many believe the fire had been started by members of the KKK.
A piece of the original Normal and Industrial School that was dug up while they were constructing the Town Hall will remain on display in the lobby as well a gallery of other artifacts and photos. They will be displayed at Town Hall for about a month.
Updated 02/19/2018 with photograph of the plaque.
