Calhoun County · Marker 09-21
John Ford High School
304 Agnes St., St. Matthews
Front inscription
In 1954, this became the new site of John Ford High School, a segregated school for African Americans. Previously known as St. Matthews Colored School and located on Herlong Ave., it was renamed for longtime principal John Andrew Ford (1889-1956) in 1949. The campus constructed here was funded by the state equalization program, an effort to preserve segregation by upgrading African Amerivcan schools.
Reverse inscription
John Ford High School was an important social center for the Black community in St. Matthews. It remained all-Black until 1970, when a federal judge ordered Calhoun County School District 1 to desegregate. This campus subsequently became John Ford Middle School, which closed in 2009. In 2014, the facility reopened as the John Ford Community Center. Only the gymnasium and shop remain of the original school.