The history of Dunbar School in Winnsboro, Texas, is a narrative of community resilience and the pursuit of education during the era of segregation. According to local folklore, the first school for Black children in the area was located east of town and known as the "Indian School". This was followed by a second facility located at East Carnegie and Gilmer Road. In 1926, this two-room school building, situated near the railroad tracks, was destroyed by fire. In the immediate aftermath, approximately 30 students continued their education at the Tranquil Baptist Church.

The Establishment of Dunbar School

The loss of the school presented a significant financial challenge for the Black community, as funds for reconstruction were not readily available. Fannie Mae Wright, a former student of educator Christine Cash, contacted Mrs. Cash at the Center Point school east of Pittsburg regarding the situation. Mrs. Cash wrote to the Julius Rosenwald Foundation in Chicago to request assistance. The Foundation agreed to fund a new school on the condition that land for the site was donated.

Through the efforts of Joe Davis and other citizens, two acres of land were acquired between what are now Lincoln and Washington streets. This land, donated via Milo Cain and the Cain Banking Co., was a barren field at the time, situated northeast of a sawmill and east of a cotton gin. Completed in 1927, the school was named "Dunbar" in honor of Paul Laurence Dunbar, a prominent 19th-century Black poet and author.

School Facilities and Academic Life

The original Dunbar School was a two-room structure featuring a porch on the north side. During the winter, the building was heated by two wood-burning stoves, and water was provided by a keg kept on the porch. The grounds included two outhouses, and students shared desks. Over time, the facility expanded to three rooms to accommodate more students and teachers.

The school day typically ran from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. Teachers maintained a "no-nonsense" approach to education, with discipline being a central component of the daily routine; a large paddle was available for students who were not obedient. In the school's early years, Francis Bufford served as the initial teacher for all classes, followed shortly by Mrs. Carter.

The academic calendar was heavily influenced by the local agricultural economy. Many students were absent during the first month or two of the fall semester to pick cotton, which was the primary "money crop" for local families.

Evolution and Desegregation

Dunbar initially served students in grades 1 through 8, eventually expanding to include grades 1 through 12 as Dunbar High School. Later, Dunbar consolidated with Webster's Mt. Zion school. Around 1950, students in grades 9 through 12 began being bused to W.D. Clark High School in Quitman.

The school served as an educational hub for 38 years until desegregation in 1965. Upon the school's closure, the three remaining teachers—Oscar Robinson, Fannie Mae Wright, and Ernestine Starling—initially lost their positions. Mrs. Starling, who had taught at Dunbar since 1942, taught in other districts for two years before returning to Winnsboro ISD to teach at Westbrook Elementary until her retirement in 1984.

Legacy

Following desegregation, the Dunbar school building was demolished. A residential neighborhood eventually developed in the area that had once been barren fields around the school. In 2002, the Winnsboro Preservation League designated the site as a significant historical landmark and placed a marker at the location. Today, the only physical remnant of the school is a crossbar pipe that once supported the campus seesaws.