Opportunity 1888 Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 105245
Jefferson City, MO 65110
PRESS RELEASE
On Saturday, May 18, 2024, Opportunity 1888 Foundation, Inc. will host a free public ceremony from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, at Harrison School, 233 East Howard Street, Tipton, Missouri. The ceremony will feature brief remarks by local/regional speakers, with an unveiling of Harrison School’s “National Register Historic” marker sign. Harrison School was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021. The sign was funded through a grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, which is committed to supporting the celebration and preservation of community history.
In 1888, the white citizens of Tipton wanted to build a new school (their third) for the white students and needed a tax levy to pay for it. They promised the Black citizens that a school would be built for Blacks (their first publicly funded school), if the Black voters would support their levy bond. The levy passed and raised $12,000 [$10,000 designated to build the white school, and the remaining $2,000 for the Black school (Harrison School)]. Harrison School began operation in the 1890, for the education of Tipton area Black students, from the first to eight grades. The construction of Harrison School, a two-room schoolhouse, was assisted by formerly enslaved area residents, who excavated rock, transported the material, and laid the stone for the school’s foundation themselves. Thanks to their craftsmanship, the school still stands and is the last remaining Black 19th-century school building in Moniteau County.
Due to segregation, Black students were not allowed to attend high school in Tipton, Missouri and many residents sought higher education at high schools in other cities, including Lincoln School (now C.C. Hubbard High School, Sedalia), Washington School/Lincoln Laboratory High School (Jefferson City), George R. Smith College (Sedalia), and Lincoln High School (Kansas City). For example, Harrison School alumnus Alonzo Redmon (former General Supervisor of the Missouri State Department of Education), graduated in 1933 from Lincoln High School in Kansas City. He later went on to Tuskegee University on a football scholarship and was inducted into their Sports Hall of Fame. Lee Shipley, a 1929 graduate of Harrison School, left Tipton to attend Western Bible College (now Western Baptist Bible College, Kansas City) before becoming an educator and realtor. Rosalind Russell, an alumna of Harrison School, graduated from Lincoln High School (Kansas City) in 1946. Rev. David O. Shipley, Sr. [former pastor of St. Marks Ecumenical Church (Kansas City), Second Baptist Church (Jefferson City), and Second Baptist Church (Kansas City); and the first Black Chaplain of the Kansas City Police Department] was also an alumnus of Harrison School. He obtained a high school equivalency diploma while serving in the United States Navy during World War II, and later attended Lincoln Junior College (Kansas City) and other institutions of higher learning. Harrison School’s last class was the 1956-1957 school year and was closed permanently in the Spring 1957, when all the schools in Tipton were integrated.
The Harrison School alumni families and surrounding communities are currently working to raise funds towards the renovation of the school. Once renovated, Harison School will be the home of the James Shipley Museum of African American History (JSMAAH). The museum is named after James Shipley, a lifelong resident of Tipton, alumnus of Harrison School, and a decorated World War II veteran. Shipley served with the Tuskegee Airmen (the Red Tails) during his time in the service. The museum will celebrate and give voice to the lives and accomplishments of area Blacks, and their connections to other cities, including Jefferson City, Kansas City, and beyond, with audio recordings, newspaper accounts, and digital image displays. The JSMAAH will have a gift shop, be open for community meetings, and allow schools to be able to take students on field trips to learn more about another part of American history up close and personal.
Opportunity 1888 Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) Tax Exempt Organization, owns and maintains the school. The Foundation is seeking donations, historical pictures of former students and support to obtain grants to continue renovation of the building. To contact the Foundation please email opportunity1888@opportunity1888.org.
Visit opportunity1888.org for more information or to make a donation.