AFRICAN AMERICAN SCHOOL BUILDING REVIVAL
Magnolia High School
St. James Parish
Magnolia High School began as an elementary school built around 1947 that educated students up to 8th grade. Students who wanted to continue their education originally had to travel to another parish. After World War II ended, Black residents demanded the right to an education equal to that available to White students in St. James Parish, so the African American elementary school was remodeled to accommodate high school students, ultimately educating grades 3-12. A new school building was constructed and opened in 1958, three miles away from the original Church Street location, in the middle of a predominantly Black community in Vacherie called Magnolia. After integration, Black high school students from Magnolia High School transferred to the formerly all- White St. James High School, five miles upriver. The school was demolished sometime before 1998, and now the site was turned into a park that serves the Magnolia and Vacherie community.
Magnolia High School
OPENED: 1958
CLOSED: 1970
OTHER NAMES OF SCHOOL: N/A
DATE OF DEMOLITION: Between 1970-1998
CURRENT USE OF SITE: Community park
2205 Church Street
Vacherie, LA 70090
