Date Original
1920-1970
Description
The collection includes printed text pages of the exhibit, "Richard Berry Harrison High School Story, 1920-1970."
Biographical/Historical Note
Richard B. Harrison High School was an African American school established in 1920 in Blytheville, Mississippi County, Arkansas. The school was named in honor of Canadian born actor, Richard Berry Harrison (1864-1935), whose parents were fugitive slaves from the United States. In 1935, Harrison High School, graduated its first twelfth grade class, which consisted of four students. The school also received Rosenwald Funds in earlier years, but finally closed its doors in 1970, when the Blytheville Public School system desegregated by court order. In an effort to maintain the school’s history, the African American Men of Distinction, Incorporated (The Richard B. Harrison High School Restoration Project), began collecting school related materials. And, through exhibit text, news clippings, yearbooks, and photographs, the “Richard Berry Harrison High School Story, 1920-1970” was created. The exhibit portrayed the school’s fifty year history and emphasized the decades from the 1920s-1970s. The exhibit opened in August 2003 at the Boys and Girls Club of Mississippi County in Blytheville. It provided a detailed look at the cultural history of Harrison’s students and teachers. The project was made possible with a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and Black History Advisory Committee (now the Black History Commission of Arkansas).
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Blytheville, Mississippi County (Ark.)
Language
English
Identifier
MS.000373
Resource Type
Text
Collection
Richard B. Harrison High School exhibit collection, MS.000373
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Harrison B. Harrison High School exhibit collection, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
United States History
