AFRICAN AMERICAN SCHOOL BUILDING REVIVAL
Second Ward High School
St. John the Baptist Parish
Second Ward High School was led by Dr. Henry Yale Harris, a young African American WWII veteran who served in Africa, Europe, and the Pacific. He drew inspiration for the school’s curriculum from his experience as a student at McDonough 35 in New Orleans. Dr. Harris served as principal and teacher, and Second Ward High School was known for offering a higher educational caliber than the local school for White students. Second Ward High School closed with integration in 1969. The building is now vacant and was recently used as a filming location for the AMC television show “Into the Badlands” in 2015. A non-profit organization is currently leasing the school to rehabilitate it.
Second Ward High School
OPENED: 1947
CLOSED: 1969
OTHER NAMES OF SCHOOL: Second Ward School
OTHER USES/CURRENT USE: Vacant
SQUARE FOOTAGE: 26,000 sf
PROPERTY OWNER: St. John the Baptist Parish School Boardd
