Media Release

3:45 p.m.

 

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - The Alachua County Board of County Commissioners, the Bland Community Families, Inc., and the City of Alachua invite the public to attend the Ogden School Road Dedication.  The ceremony begins at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at the actual historical site of the school (see map below).

 

Ogden Elementary School was an African American, two-room schoolhouse that operated from 1907 to 1951 about eight miles north of the city of Alachua.  It was the only African-American elementary school in the area.  The conditions at the school were sub-standard, considerably less favorable to learning than white schools.  Most books, hand-me-downs from local white schools, were written in and missing pages.  There was no electricity for lighting and heat until 1939.  Children attending Ogden walked to school, often many miles, while white children rode busses.

 

Despite the sub-standard conditions, many African American students of the era embraced their chance to get an education. Many used their education to become teachers, nurses, x-ray technicians, military officers, business owners, and other professionals.  Former students and teachers at Ogden Elementary School will be speaking at the ceremony.

 

For more information, contact the Alachua County Public Works Department at (352) 374-5245 ext. 215.

 

 

 

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