Following the Civil War and the emancipation of American slaves, the federal goverment established the Freedmen's Bureau to oversee programs aimed at educating and assisting blacks with their newly-granted citizenship. One of the most visibleof the Bureau's program was the organization and building of schools. The first free public school for blacks in San Antonio was built on this site in the late 1860s. Operated by the local office of the Freedman's Bureau,the school was two-story stone structure. Called Rincon School because of its location on Rincon (now St. Mary's) street, the school provided instruction to studends of all ages. Operation of the school was assumed by the city of San Antonio in 1871, and it was made a part of the city's school in 1890, and to Frederick Douglass School in 1904. Ten years later the school was relocated to a two-story brick building at what is now 318 Martin Luther King Drive. An important part of the city's history, Rincon/Douglass School has been integral tothe education of a large portion of San Antonio's population.
Directions
701 N. St. Mary's St., San Antonio
Historical Codes
AA; ED;
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Map Location
Map data provided by Texas Historical Commission. Some locations are approximate
