Lincoln High Tigers of Florida
| Old Lincoln High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
|
Tallahassee, Florida USA |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Established | 1869 |
| Principal | J. Riley, Mr. Nims |
| Color(s) | Royal Blue and White |
| Mascot | Tigers |
Lincoln High School (also known as Lincoln Academy) was a high school located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States during segregation. It is commonly referred to as "Historic Lincoln High School" or "Old Lincoln". It is no longer a functioning school. It has no link other than name with the current Lincoln High School.
Lincoln Academy opened in 1869 during Reconstruction as the all-black school in Leon County, Florida. It served grades 1 through 12. Its rival schools were FAMU High School and Griffin High School, which is now Griffin Middle. Because it was too crowded, some black students went to Bond School (what we now know as Bond Elementary) for grades 1 through 9.
John G. Riley was the first African-American to become principal of a Leon County School when he served as principal of Lincoln Academy, the predecessor to Lincoln High School. In the same area where Lincoln was located was the Lincoln Nursing Center, for children who were not ready for the first grade.
After integration, Lincoln High was closed down and Griffin Middle School was given the Tiger mascot. Lincoln's last two classes were transferred to Griffin; hence the school being renamed Lincoln-Griffin High. Students in the classes of 1968 and 1969 finished from Lincoln-Griffin High.
Lincoln has been through three different stages. It was first located on Copeland Street, then moved to land that was later sold to Florida State University, then moved to its present location on Brevard and Macomb Streets.
The school closed in 1967-68 when Leon County Schools were integrated.
The Class of 1967 was the last class to graduate as Lincoln High School Tigers.
Lincoln High was named after a small section of Tallahassee called Lincoln Heights, an area which was later destroyed. The city extended Frenchtown, so now the area is called Historic Frenchtown. It was owned by a black couple who later sold the school to Leon County Schools for $150 in 1876.
Parts of the Old Lincoln such as the gym and some other vocational buildings were torn down. The main structure that still stands on the grounds is known as the Lincoln Neighborhood Center. When the original school existed, students attended "regular school" during the day. At night, students attended vocational classes such as tailoring, cosmetology (taught by Ms. Harris), welding, Spanish (Ms. Rainey), and nursing.
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