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Farming For A Better Future, page 23
A permanent place for the education of African American children came about in 1928 when a local landowner, Dick King, offered up 10 acres of land to be sold to the African American community for a school. The building committee for the new school included Mr. D. D. Mullins, Mr. Frank King, Mr. Emmett Wallace, Mr. Adam Horn, and Mr. Andrew Hankins. Of these five men, all of them owned their own property in Leighton during the early 20th century. D. D. Mullins could be identified as Doyle Mullins who owned a farm in 1930; King owned a farm from at least 1900 to 1940; Wallace owned a farm in 1930; Horn was recorded as a farmer with his own property in 1930, however it was noted as not a farm; and Hankins owned a house and worked as a day laborer. The school began with five teachers and grades one through eleven. A total of 192 students were enrolled in the first years. Early faculty included: Mr. M. P. McDonald (1st grade), Ms. Carrie Pierce (2nd and 3rd grades), Ms. Albertha Bahnston (4th, 5th, and 6th grades), Ms. Ethel W. Lawson (7th, 8th, and 9th grades), and Mr. R. S. Childs (10th and 11th grades, principal). Other principals included Mr. W. C. Ross (Top) 1930 Federal Census Excerpt Showing Doyle (D. D.) Mullins and Wife, Ella, Owning a Farm (National Archives and Records Administration via Ancestry. com) (Second) 1930 Federal Census Excerpt Showing Frank King Owning a Farm (National Archives and Records Administration via Ancestry.com (Third) 1930 Federal Census Excerpt Showing Emmitt Wallace (Fourth) 1930 Federal Census Excerpt Showing Carrie Pierce and Her Sister as Teachers in a Public School (National Archives and Records Administration via Ancestry.com) Owning a Farm (National Archives and Records Administration via Ancestry.com) of Cincinnati, Ohio. Mr. Ross left the school to join the military during World War II and Mrs. Sadie M. Hicks became principal. Following the war, Mr. S. N. Nance headed the school. Local parents were heavily involved in the school as well. The early P.T.A. officers were Ms. Myrtle McDonald (President), Ms. Blanche Madden (Vice President), Ms. Inez Campbell (Secretary), Ms. Minnie P. McDonald (Assistant Secretary), and Ms. Ella Mullins (Treasurer), wife of Mr. Doyle Mullins. According to the nomination, students came from far away to attend Leighton Training School, including: Cave Springs, Colbert, Bethel, Lake Johnson, Buck Bridge, and Foster's Bridge. The first graduates of the school who completed the 12th grade were Ms. Mary Pearl Pruitt, Ms. Edna L. Wallace (granddaughter of Emmett Wallace), and Ms. Methal King Davis. School Motto - “ Give Light and The People Will Find Their Own Way” School Slogan - “Character Building Thru the Love of Nature and the Appreciation of Farm Life 23 - COLBERT - (4551)