The Gamble School

Near this site once stood a school for African American children, built in 1925 at a cost of $2,800. Funding for the two-classroom wooden structure came from area residents, public funds, and $700 from the philanthropic foundation of Sears, Roebuck and Company president and Tuskegee Institute board member Julius Rosenwald. Between 1917 and 1932, the Rosenwald Foundation helped construct nearly 5,000 schools throughout the United States. The school was named for A.G. Gamble, a leader in the African American community credited with spearheading the fundraising campaign. Over time, it was also known as the Blount County Training School and Sand Valley Training School. Water came from a nearby stream, the building was heated by potbellied stoves, and teachers offered basic coursework through the tenth grade. Used textbooks and other supplies came from surrounding white schools. In 1958, the Oneonta City Board of Education closed the school after completion of Southside, a new school for African American pupils on the opposite side of town.

Oneonta, Alabama · United States