How to help Somerville community restore historic landmark after fire

Earlier this month, the nearby community of Somerville suffered the loss of a significant building when a historic Black schoolhouse burned down. The building held more than a century’s worth of history, community and culture.

The building, which formerly served as St. John Elementary, caught fire on Thursday Feb 12 after sparks from a neighbor’s burn pile were picked up by a heavy wind and blown into the property, damaging several acres of land and ultimately destroying the structure.

Community members are working to reconstruct the schoolhouse and are calling for assistance from the community in order to begin reconstruction. Read on to learn more about the history of the school and how you can help.

About St. John Elementary

Somerville, located about 30 minutes south of Huntsville, has been home to this school since 1923. Originally known as the Morgan County Training School, the building served Black students during segregation. 

Here are more details we learned about the school’s history:

• The school was a part of the Rosenwald building program, a partnership between Tuskegee founder Booker T. Washington and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald that funded the construction and operation of thousands of schools for Black children across the rural South in the early 20th century.
• Despite the quality education provided by this school, it was not without its downsides. To access the school, students had to make a 10-mile trek to the building, as buses were not provided to Black students or schools.
• When the Supreme Court ruled segregation unconstitutional in the 1950s, the school closed, while remaining a Somerville landmark.

Among its generations of students, many remained committed to preserving its legacy, including Curtis Burton Sr., who supported maintaining the building and preserving its historical significance. Today, his daughter, Lynette Burton, owns the property.

Hear from Lynette + supoort the recovery

Lynette is an active member of the Somerville community. Her nonprofit organization, The Kidz Table Inc., founded in 2009 and certified as a nonprofit in 2016, works to combat hunger locally. Though devastated by the fire, she remains determined to restore the site and commemorate its history. 

The nonprofit has set up online fundraising to support rebuilding efforts and preserve the school’s history. They have also begun hands-on recovery efforts, including debris cleanup on the property. Her long-term goal is to rebuild the structure as an educational and historical site for teachers, students and tourists so the school’s legacy of resilience will continue.

🫶How you can help

• Support the GoFundMe
• Connect with The Kidz Table Inc.

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