Friday, September 01, 2006

The Hayne's School

Before Integration, black children were bussed from up to forty miles away to be taught at The Hayne's School. It is in the Freeman Addition of my town. The Freeman addition was once a large community. Now only three or four families live there as the town has become integrated. The dilapidated cinder block building is a reminder of how 'separate but equal' was really only separate.

The bottom picture of the playground with the abandoned merry go round seems haunted to me. I can almost hear ghostly laughter in the background.

6 Comments:

Blogger yellowdoggranny said...

yeah, texas is full of small towns like that..my only problem with west still living in the year 1957 is the fact that there is an unspoken segregation here..in the entire town of 2 grocery stores, 2 drug stores,hardware store, lumber co,numerous resturants, convient stores, etc there are no black faces...the city has several but am sure it is federal enforced..we have a $1store that has started hiring black's and has caused some unspoken uproar..makes me sad...their business has dropped 25-30%...czech's rule here..westfest starts tonight...check it out on website..westfest.com

12:13 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow...the merry-go-round picture is so haunting. I hear the laughter too. spooky. Fantastic!

8:24 PM  
Blogger Pixie said...

The primary school I attended was pretty old it used to have seperate doors for boys and girls ( it was carved above the doors) of course segregation had long been over with in my time.

I'm with Mimi its hard for me to grasp( esp as an "outsider") to see what all the fuss was ( and still is about in some areas) people are people for gods sake!!

2:17 PM  
Blogger :P fuzzbox said...

Granny, Spur once boasted a large black community but even more than whites. The population has spiraled downwards as the younger people have had to leave in order to find work.

Mimi, it is a sad commentary on our history.

Jenna, it is a sad little pic.

Pixie, that is strange that girls and boys had seperate entrances. I wonder why?

12:34 PM  
Blogger tsduff said...

Why is there something haunting about abandoned children's toys? Like something killed them off or something. Great pictures - sad about the population disappearing though.

1:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I played on that play ground, and rode on that merry-go-round. There also was a see-saw on one side and a swing set on the other side of that merry-go-round. I played basketball on the basketball court you cannot see and the baseball diamond up ahead.

There was a time in the early sixties on any given Friday or Saturday, that school yard became a Community fellowship outing for many! You see, baseball was the thang in that day and time, along with Motown & Gospel!

I can hear the laughter also of people sitting on cars and children running to and from the snowcone stand across the alley and the umpire shouting, "strike"!

Forgotton memories.......by the way, my Grandfather, Freeman Forrest Rivers, owned the homestead just over the hill on the other side of the ball diamond.

6:34 AM  

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