The first known school for blacks in Chapel Hill was first called the "Free School," established sometime in the 1800s When founded; Free School was located in 3 rooms in the Quaker Building, which stood adjacent to the St. Paul A.M.E. Church. The locality was in the vicinity of the current (1973) Main Street in Carrboro.

Training vas geared for grades 1 through 7 and the school only held classes from October to March. The predominant philosophy/attitudes at that time was that this was more than enough education time for black children. The school year would end even earlier if/when the allocated funds ran out. This was a handicap to blacks only as the separate schools maintained for white children were better funded and maintained.

B.F. Hopkins was the school’s Principal. Mrs. Mittie Kirkland and Mrs. Stella Oldham were the teachers.

Black parents of the community were understandably dissatisfied with the system and concerned that their children bad no opportunity to be educated beyond the 7th grade. Their concern motivated them to organize and establish a private school, which was first named The Hackney School (after one of the founders). The Hackney School was located on the west side of Merritt Hill Road, between Bennett and Blockside, near the railroad track. Not too long after opening, the school was named or came to be known as Hack’s High School.

Reverend Dr: Louis H. Hackney vas the school principal as well as one of the two History Teachers. Other teachers were Mrs. Jessie O'kelly/ Domestic Science; Mrs. Amy Rogers/Music; Mrs. Carrie Jones/ History and Mr. Jim Rogers/Arithmetic.

In 1916, the Chapel Hill District School Board of Directors consisted of Drs. Pratt, Mangum and Lawson and Professor Noble. Dr. Lawson approached Dr. Hackney with the idea of consolidating the County run Free School with the Hackney (or Hack ' s) High School .

Dr. Hackney accepted the proposition and sold Hack’s High to Orange Co.37

The two consolidated schools then became the first Orange County Training School, with a Hr. Malone as the principal. The Training School operated on the Hackney site until 1923 w1hen it was destroyed by fire .38

Concerned parents, residents and numerous organizations in the community came forward to help during this critical period in maintaining consistent, quality education for black children . Other schools opened their doors to some of the students; Some were taught an d ho u sed at the old Odd Fellows Hall ( then located next to the proper y of Mrs. . Alice Whittled Neal); Still others were taught in a large frame ho use on Rosemary Street, approximately near the Tijuana Fats property, which was later occupied by the Council family .

Subsequent schools were opened such as the Carey Jones School on Roberson Street, a private school located at or near the current home of the Ernest Cordal family.

Pendle School, 2 room private school, was opened on McDade Street at the approximate site of Mrs. Tenny Edwards home, (perhaps better remembered by some as the site of the old Rob & Francis Snipes home) .

It was these multiple efforts which maintained an educational system f or the students until the County built a new Orange County Training School

Mr Henry Stroud, a black resident, donated Land for the new school site, deeding nine acres bordering McMaster and Church Streets. An anonymous white female resident contributed the largest amount of money needed for the construction . As was the norm in Chapel Hill, many citizens contributed in the ef fort, donating money and working to raise funds for the construction. Their job was made even more difficult by the fact that they had to continually battle the County School Board to prevent them from cutting back on the construction allocations for the new school. Construction of the new O.C.T.S. was completed in 1924 with members of the Masonic Lodge laying the Corner Stone.

First principal was Mr. B. L. Bosman, who is remembered for his aggressive and successful efforts to ensure that the school was built of brick rather than cinder block, as the County had planned. The new school was constructed using the Rosenwald Program, a then popular design concept which called for the classrooms to be built around a large central auditorium. The auditorium at O.C.T .S. subsequently became noted through out North Carolina for its trademark, the three concrete posts in the buildings center: 38 Note that this paragraph cont ins some discrepancies when compared with the enclosed property deeds of 1916 and 1919/20 concerning the school. See Property Deed from Deed Book 76, Page s 296-297, drawn 20 December, 1916.

Among the numerous principals who followed Mr. Bosman were Reverend Cycil Scott (from the Sanford area) for about one year ; Hr. Frank Kennedy, who stayed on until about 1933, retiring shortly after the death of his wife; Mr. Harold H. Holmes, till 1944; Mr. . J .H. Joynigan, 1944 though 1946. Mr. Joynigan is fondly remembered as the "rainy day principal" because of his practice of dismissing school early on rainy days to help the buses get the children home.

The sixth principal was Mr. C. A. McDougle, who arrived in 1946. Mr. . Mac, as he was known, remained in that position until O.C.T.S. was consolidated in 1966.

Many changes took place in the structure of O.C. T.S. between 1924 and the present. A new addition was added to the front in 1935, which was perceived psychologically as being one of the best things that could have happened. Since all grades, 1 through 12, were located at this one building, the new addition enabled the school administration to divide the elementary from the high school. Every class looked forward to the day it could enter the double doors to atend high school.

This event was the first sign that one was maturing into young adulthood. Another sign of such maturing was the type of punishment one received for breaking rules. Two types of punishment one could receive was 10 licks in the hand with the black belt or shoveling coal into the boiler room. There was many a proud fellow who seself esteem doubled when the day came that he could shovel coal rather than face the black belt. In 1945 o r 1946 two more rooms were added to the school. Also during this time a new cafeteria was constructed, on the vest side of the building. The construction of the cafeteria began to turn the tide in the first competitive battle between Hrs. Ruth Pope’s school lunches and Hrs. Susie Weaver’s noonday specials, which consisted of hamburgers, George Washington pies, sour pickles and big Pepsi colas. 39

Many a student slipped down to Mrs. Weaver’s store even though it had been put off limits by Mr. Mac. To come back to the school grounds with your brown paper bag with a big juicy pickle was a new approach in challenging the school administration.

In 1949 a new black awareness had come about to the school body and the school administration. This was the year that we said we were tired of being identified as a training school, which, at that time, had the connotation of being a reformatory school. After much debate, the new name of Lincoln High was chosen. The class of 1950 was the first to finish under the new name of Lincoln High ..."

37 - See Property Deed from Deed Book 76, Page s 296-297, drawn 20 December, 1916.

38 - Note that this paragraph cont ins some discrepancies when compared with the enclosed property deeds of 1916 and 1919/20 concerning the school.

39 See Susie Campbell, daughter of Della Hackney Campbell, next chapter.