Discovering Prosperity - Howard Jr. High School

Prosperity is a small, sleepy town. I am excited about finding Howard Jr. High School because that's the exact name of the school I attended in Florida. I turn off a main road onto a small lane that takes me around a baseball field to a place that looks as if it's from another time.

The lane takes me under this small railroad bridge. I begin to get excited just because it feels like I might find something special here.

As I drive under the bridge, I see a lone gravestone sitting beside the road. In the distance I see lots more gravestones, on both sides of the road.

I see an old building that I know immediately must be my destination. I cannot wait to get out and explore. This entire area has an old feel to it.

I continue driving up the lane and park just past the old junior high school building.

I snap a photo of the school from where I park but can't decide where to go first. Do I want to explore the old gravestones or the school? The gravestones win and I start walking among them.

Some are really old and from the 1800s and others are newer. But this graveyard has more character than any I've visited before, as you will soon see.

Someone has taken the cross from this gravestone.

I love this gravestone. There are several here that appear to be hand carved and even decorated with rocks and shells.

I love walking through the cemetery, but it is large and curiosity overtakes me and I head for the school. I will enter the graveyard again after I've investigated the old school building.

 This school was built in 1924-25 with matching funds from the Julius Rosenwald Fund. The fund was created by the chief executive officer of Sears, Roebuck, and Company to improve education for African Americans in the South.

The school is a one-story wooden frame building. It originally had four classrooms and lots of windows down both sides to allow natural light inside.

I can't find any information about the actual school itself while in use but I will continue to search.

I stuck my camera high into one of the windows to take this photo. Even though it doesn't look like it, the windows are taller than me. I could not see inside by standing near them.

This building is being restored and preserved.

Another view.

 

 Even though this is a newer gravestone, it appears hand-carved.

This is my favorite and very unique.

 The stones are decoration.

 The rocks on top are cemented into the gravestone. Someone spent a lot of time on this grave. There are no dates so I couldn't tell when they died though.

 

 The side and rear of the building have not been restored yet. We get a feel for how it once looked.

 There are gravestones behind the old school too.

 As I drive out and continue my adventure, I stop to photograph the lone gravestone that sits by the roadside.

What an exciting find. If you are even in Prosperity, this place is definitely worth you time to go have a look. Not only will you get to see an old school, but the gravestones here have so much character.