THE HISTORY OF EVANS ELEMENTARY |
Written by Jenna Roberson
Fourth Grade Student 1986-1987
Edited by Penny Summer
On January 1, 1949, John Pierce Blanchard became Superintendent of Columbia County Schools. At that time our schools were segregated: there were five white schools and thirty-five black schools. The white schools were governed by district trustees, and the black schools were located on plantations and in churches.
The black citizens were very concerned about their schools' conditions. They periodically visited Mr. Blanchard, and he kept a record of their names and addresses.
In 1951 the government sold fourteen army barracks to Columbia County at a cost of $147.50. Mr. Blanchard contacted the same black citizens to tell them the news. The citizens formed a group and traveled to Toccoa, Georgia. Mr. Blanchard borrowed trucks from his friends all over the county. A week passed in Toccoa, money was short, and the buildings were not yet disassembled. Mr. Blanchard then contacted two county contractors, Mr. Virgil Brown (my grandfather) and Mr. Claude Fuller. These men and their crews went to Toccoa and completed the disassembling of the buildings. The men brought them back to Columbia County.
Mr. Wallace Gibbs, a concerned citizen, donated a parcel of land off Washington Road for one of these buildings. This land was midway between two existing black schools, Mt. Enon and Mt. Olive. Therefore, these students made up a majority of the population of this new school. Since Mr. Gibbs donated the land, the parents decided to name the school for him.
In 1951, the first Gibbs Elementary was established. Mrs. Sarah Washington came from Mt. Olive School to be its first principal along with three teachers. From 1951 to 1956 the school grew to become a junior high with seven teachers.
In 1954-55 Georgia began to establish statewide regulations for schools. At the same time Columbia County began a building program. During this time the County Board purchased a parcel of land on Gibbs Road from Mr. Ben Green. In 1956 students moved into the new brick building located on that property. It was called Gibbs Elementary. A friend of Mr. Blanchard's, Mr. Robert Jordan, used his influence as a member of the highway board to pave Gibbs Road. Mrs. Washington was again named principal of this school, and she had a faculty of twelve teachers. For the first time the school also had a secretary, a librarian, and a lunchroom staff.
In 1969 the County Board adopted an integration plan. This changed the county schools' make-up. Also, the board decided that all schools should be named for their geographical locations rather than for people. The name of Gibbs Elementary was then changed to Evans Elementary because of its location in Evans, Georgia.
In 1982 the Board of Education decided to close Evans Elementary because of its condition. It remained closed until 1985. When the school reopened, it had been totally renovated, equipped with central heating and air-conditioning. An addition was also made of ten classrooms and a physical education building.
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