Burt High School
Burt High School was a public school for black students in Clarksville, Tennessee. Named for Robert Burt, a physician who helped fund it.[1][2] The school was built in 1922, and opened in 1923, by 1952 the campus was moved and it remained active until its closure in 1970.
History
[edit]It was the only high school open to blacks in Montgomery County, Tennessee.[2] Tigers were the school's mascot and black and gold the school colors.[1] The school namesake, Robert Burt was an African American physician who had established a hospital in Clarkesville.[3][4][5]
The school received national attention in 1937, after it won first place at the fifth annual Tennessee State University High School Symposium.[6][7] The school moved next to Austin Peay State University in 1952.[2] It is located at 110 Bailey Street.[8] Burt High School had a band and held an annual pageant.
Three time Olympic gold medalist runner, Wilma Rudolph, who overcame polio as a child, played basketball while enrolled.[9] One of the school basketball coaches was murdered by his landlord in 1955.[10][11] The school's basketball team won the 1961 National Negro High School Basketball championship.[2]
Burt High School closed in 1970. A historical marker in front of what became the Burt School, an elementary school, commemorates its history.[2][12] In 2024 the Burt School building was being repurposed.[13]
Alumni
[edit]- Wilma Rudolph,three-time Olympic gold medalist sprinter[2]
- L. M. Ellis, State and National Negro High School All-Tournament Team member and Austin Peay Hall of Fame basketball player[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "L.M. Ellis & the Burt High Trifecta". Issuu.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Howze, Ray. "Burt High historical marker long time in the making". The Leaf-Chronicle.
- ↑ "100 Years of Burt School". February 18, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Dr. Robert Burt". www.visitclarksvilletn.com.
- ↑ Burgess, Joe Ann (2020-07-06). The Odyssey of Burt High School: The Evolution of Education of a Small Black High School in a Small Southern Town. Dorrance Publishing. pp. 281–282. ISBN 978-1-4809-2530-4.
- ↑ "Burt High, Clarksville, Wins A and I. Plaque". The Tennessean. 1937-04-11. p. 29. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ↑ "Burt High School Awarded Tenn. State Symposium Title". The Call. 1937-04-23. p. 9. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ↑ "Burt Elementary School". www.visitclarksvilletn.com.
- ↑ "Champion Built Life on Challenges". The Glasgow Daily Times. 1960-11-04. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ↑ "Tenn. Coach Is Murdered". New Pittsburgh Courier. 1955-05-28. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ↑ "Landlord Slays Tenn. Coach". The Chicago Defender. 1955-05-28. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
- ↑ "Burt High School Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org.
- ↑ Renfro, Jordan (June 6, 2024). "St. Bethlehem and Burt schools to be repurposed for next school year as part of rezoning plan - ClarksvilleNow.com".
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- 1923 establishments in Tennessee
- 1970 disestablishments in the United States
- Buildings and structures in Clarksville, Tennessee
- Defunct high schools
- Defunct black public schools in the United States that closed when schools were integrated
- Tennessee school stubs
- Historically segregated African-American schools in Tennessee
- Schools in Montgomery County, Tennessee