The Bolling School building sits within the heart of a historically Black neighborhood. Both the school and the faculty played significant roles in Lewisburg and surrounding Black communities. Many faculty members helped form and run Black civic and fraternal societies as they did not have access to societies formed by white community members. These groups took on projects like raising money for local and international projects, including the development of Dorie Miller Park. The Bolling faculty also took on roles as leaders in their local churches. The Bolling School helped connect communities across Greenbrier County.
Black Communities in Greenbrier County
As the only High School built for Black students in Greenbrier, Pocahontas, and Monroe Counties, Bolling High School drew students from across the Greenbrier Valley. Historically, the valley had numerous Black communities. Some of these communities, like Quinwood, formed around job opportunities in the coal industry while others formed around farming or railroads. As economic opportunities diminished, these communities dwindled. In 1954, the Black community of Lincoln published a community progress report stating that "Only a few years ago there were 17 communities like ours, but we have been the only one to stand the test of time."
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Gospel Hill
The Maple Street Historic District, more commonly known as Gospel Hill, is the neighborhood that houses the Bolling School. Although the origin of the neighborhood's colloquial name is unknown, it begins appearing in local newspapers by the early 1900s. This section of Lewisburg became a segregated community for Black families. Despite the fond memories of this neighborhood demonstrated in oral histories, these stories also acknowledge the segregated nature of the community. White community members and local police prevented Black community members from coming into downtown Lewisburg after dark. By the 1940s the Gospel Hill neighborhood had become incorporated within the city of Lewisburg.
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This image of Lewisburg, taken before the 1920s, shows the Gospel Hill neighborhood in the background of the image.
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Fraternal Organizations
Black fraternal organizations formed in response to segregation found within White fraternal organizations. In Greenbrier County, several local chapters of fraternal organizations were founded including the Independent Order of Saint Luke, the Sons and Daughters of Enoch, and a Masonic group. These organizations performed more than just community service. They also existed as mutual aid societies. The 1916 benefit certificate to the Independent Order of Saint Luke, shown right, provides the member's family with $100.00 within 30 days of death, essentially a form of life insurance. Although the popularity of fraternal organizations waned in the later half of the 1900s, several Bolling faculty members played key roles in their local fraternal organizations.
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Toga Club
The Toga Club was a civic club founded by Bolling High School's football coach Alonzo Branch. The club was founded in 1963 as an organization for young Black men in Greenbrier County. One of the club's greatest accomplishments was the naming of Dorie Miller Park. The Toga Club used one of the park's buildings as a club house and helped maintain the park's playing field. The Toga Club chose the name Dorie Miller because the "Toga men tried to use the symbol of unselfishness and the desire to help others as a basis for their operation." The Toga Club began to decline in number, and in the mid 1990s the club house at Dorie Miller Park was torn down.
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A newspaper advertisement for a new county tax. Note the Toga Club endorses the levy.
Greenbrier Independent February 20, 1964 |
John Wesley United Methodist Church
John Wesley United Methodist Church, a historic Black church located in Lewisburg, had an important relationship with Bolling School. One of two Black churches in Lewisburg, several of the faculty members attended John Wesley. When the Bolling school building burned down, John Wesley housed classes until the school building was rebuilt. Outside of John Wesley, Churches held a prominent role in Black communities across the Greenbrier Valley. Many Bolling faculty members served as pianists, deacons, and church leaders in their local congregations.
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