Princeville Graded School began in 1883 in the community of Liberty Hill—two years before the town was officially incorporated as Princeville. From its earliest days, the school represented the determination of newly freed African Americans to secure education for their children. As the chapter notes, families wanted more than lessons “under a shade tree on someone’s property or in an abandoned barn.” They wanted a real school, taught by certified teachers, and they worked tirelessly to make it happen.

Founding and Early Leadership

Amid discussions in 1882 about establishing public schools in Edgecombe County—one designated for Black children and one for white—community leaders debated who should guide the new institution. After a public vote, William Patrick Mabson was elected as the first principal of the Princeville school. Despite controversy surrounding his appointment, Mabson opened the school with two teachers and roughly 150 students. Under his leadership, the school quickly became a cornerstone of Black education in Edgecombe County, setting the foundation for generations of learning and community advancement.

In 1883, the Town of Tarboro appointed a board of trustees for its “colored” school, tasking them with developing a formal plan for a graded school to be built to serve the children of Princeville. The trustees—John C. Dancy, H. C. Cherry, Victor E. Howard, Benjamin Norfleet, Edward Zoella, Henry S. Spraggins, and W. H. Knight—were community leaders whose work laid the foundation for what became Princeville Graded School. Their efforts marked an early and significant step in establishing a structured public education system for African American students in the region.

By the late 1880s, John Craven Jones became the second principal, leading the school through a period of rapid growth. Attendance often reached 80–95%, with enrollment climbing into the hundreds.

Growth, Overcrowding, and Community Commitment

Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Princeville Graded School expanded despite limited resources and unequal teacher pay. Families made sacrifices to ensure their children could attend, and teachers remained dedicated even as salaries lagged behind those of white educators.

By 1898, the school was “full to overflowing,” and by 1921 enrollment had reached 667 students in grades 1–7—far more than the building could safely hold.

A Center of Black Education

Under principal William Augustine Perry (1907–1911), the school introduced advanced coursework and celebrated its first eighth‑grade graduation. Later, under Walter A. Pattillo, Jr., the school continued expanding, at times offering ninth and tenth‑grade classes and functioning informally as a high school.

Facilities and Rebuilding

The original wooden schoolhouse endured decades of overcrowding and structural strain. By the 1930s, it was described as “a dilapidated wooden building… considered by experts as a fire trap.” Additions, including exterior staircases and divided classrooms, helped temporarily, but a new building was desperately needed.

In the 1940s, Princeville students beyond fourth grade had to walk more than two miles into Tarboro for upper‑grade instruction until community advocacy finally secured a school bus in 1948.

A modern brick school was completed in 1961, replacing the aging structure. With this new building came a new name—Princeville School—and the retirement of the terms “Graded” and “Colored.”

Legacy

Although many early Black schools in the region have faded from memory, Princeville Graded School endured. From its founding in 1883 through its rebuilding in the 1960s, it remained a cornerstone of education, resilience, and community pride in one of the oldest towns chartered by African Americans in the United States.

This summary captures only a small part of the school’s remarkable journey. The full book, Angels at the Blackboard, preserves the deeper stories, records, and voices that shaped Princeville’s educational legacy.