Mississippi Department of Archives and History looks at B. F. Ford School

Two representatives of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History were in New Albany Wednesday for a look at B. F. Ford School.

A group of concerned citizens is trying to raise money to preserve and renovate the school, making it available as a community resource center.

Ford School was built to replace the Union County Training School that burned in 1942. In 1950 it was named after longtime principal, B. F. Ford.

B. F. Ford was the principal African American school in the community on into the 1960s desegregation. It later became an elementary school. Today it is home to the Head Start program. Also, the New Albany Boys and Girls Club is situated in the gym. Other areas of the building are used for storage.

Community Development Director Billye Jean Stroud said the group toured two classrooms, the gym and cafeteria. They documented the visit with photos. This initial assessment will be used to apply for a Certified Local Government grant to pay for services of a structural engineer to evaluate the structure.

Stroud said an assessment had been started in 2009, but it is not clear why it was not followed up. She added that the representatives said Ford School “had been on their radar for some time.”

“A group of citizens is really passionate about it and a group of businesses is supporting it,” Stroud said.

She added that, although the building has suffered from some neglect, it appears to be structurally sound.

The City of New Albany apparently owns the 13 and one-half acre B. F. Ford property, along with Shady Dell Park. The reason why the city, rather than the New Albany School District, owns the school property is unclear. The city schools are listed as owning a 20,000 square foot rectangle along the street, down the hill. The property is behind the school, but it does not really adjoin it.

Also touring the building were Penny Blissett, one of the organizers of the preservation effort, and Union County Heritage Museum Director Jill Smith.