From 1939 to 1955, the Douglass Cooperative High School stood here as an important part of Festus history. Formed in 1939 under the leadership of Dr. Arthur Shropshire, it served as the only high school for black students residing between Webster Groves, Missouri, and Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The all-black high school educated thousands of African American students throughout east central Missouri, welcoming students from Festus, Crystal City, Herculaneum, De Soto, Bonne Terre, Farmington, Fredericktown, Potosi, Ironton, St. Mary's, and Ste. Genevieve. The school launched the careers of esteemed educators Willa and Adam McCullough, Bernice Thompson, and Margaret Gill, among others. It closed in 1955 after Douglass School students were integrated into area school districts under the leadership of Festus Superintendent Mr. Ralph Tynes.