St. Matthews C.T.S. Site

Front inscription

St. Matthews County Training School (C.T.S.), one of two Rosenwald Schools in Calhoun County, was built on this 4-acre site. The 1924 brick school building cost $13,500 and was paid for by public funds, monies raised by local African Americans, and the Julius Rosenwald Fund. The five-teacher building featured a hipped roof, central entrance, and banks of windows. As a C.T.S., it was centrally located to serve students from throughout Calhoun County.

Reverse inscription

St. Matthews C.T.S. offered special training for rural African American teachers and the Tuskegee model of industrial education. As a forerunner to modern high schools, a C.T.S. offered 2-3 years of advanced vocational training, mainly in agriculture and home economics. In 1949, the school was renamed for longtime principal John A. Ford (1889-1956). In 1954, the campus became Guinyard Elementary after a new high school was built.