NATCHEZ, Miss. (Oct. 18) – Discussions are underway for Adams County supervisors to give the old Sadie V. Thompson school to an alumni group wanting to maintain the building once the high school for blacks in the 1950s and ‘60s.
Supervisors discussed the plan today with Phillip West, a graduate of the school and leader of the group seeking the county-owned building. Built in 1953, the school on North Union Street closed in 1972 and was turned over to Adams County.
West — a former Natchez mayor currently on the Natchez-Adams school board — said Thompson alumni consider the building “a jewel” rich with history and sentimental value. It is a state-designated Mississippi Landmark.
Thompson for 26 years was the principal at Brumfield School, which educated black students prior to her namesake school opening its doors as a “state-of-the-art” facility in 1954, when Natchez-Adams County schools were racially segregated.
“The black community cherished the school,” writes historian Jack Davis in his book Race Against Time: Culture and Separation in Natchez Since 1930.“Now (black adults) and their children had a public facility that compared favorably to anything whites had, a school that answered their educational aspirations, something even whites might envy and covet.”
West said alumni want to maintain the building for community uses like what’s been done for other Natchez educational institutions – such as Margaret Martin and the two Carpenters schools — that have closed.
Since ceasing being part of the Natchez-Adams school system, Sadie V. Thompson has been used by the Head Start program for preschool children. West said the program could continue to be housed in the building.
Adams County supervisors said they’ll continue meeting with others to discuss the legal steps for deeding the property to the Thompson alumni group.
—
Natchez-Adams County Airport Director Richard Nelson said prospects are “really, really good” for getting passenger-airline service after years of no commercial flights in and out of the county-owned facility. Nelson said he and other local leaders continue to meet with commercial airline representatives to persuade them to bring their planes to Adams County. A conference scheduled for Nov. 1 will afford local officials an opportunity to meet with the airline reps.
This comes as runway construction work starts in November. While this will improve the existing runways, Nelson noted the construction temporarily hinders the flow of traffic in and out of the airport and reduces revenues this generates. He met with Adams County supervisors today.
The airport recently received $3.7 million in federal funds for the improvements. Its master plan includes runway resurfacing and new lighting at the aging facility, which dates back to 1946.
Comments