Black History Month

By JAMES CAMPBELL

J.C.T.S. was a school of excellence! It was a school that is today the epitome of Black History as well as Black Heritage. But in order to appreciate and understand the true meaning of J.C.T.S., allow me to tell you how it all came about:

It all started with Julius Rosenwald, an American businessman and a philanthropist who was part owner of Sears, Roebuck and Company. In the beginning of the 20th century, Mr. Rosenwald established what was known as the “Rosenwald Fund” that would donate millions of dollars in matching funds to help support educating African American children throughout southern United States.

During that time, there were many black schools throughout the south scattered all across the rural areas in one-room shacks and churches. In 1902 when the Rosenwald Fund was announced and became available, John Cargile who was a master carpenter, along with his brother Terry, and a cousin named Washington Thomas, all African-Americans from Jasper County traveled to New York City to request funds to do what many thought was an impossible dream: to build what would become one of the best educational institutions in the state of Georgia.

After the required funds were obtained by the brothers, they returned to Monticello and began building a two story building on South Warren Street, which is now Funderburg Drive, in the Washington Park community, or popularly known as “The Hill.”

When the building was completed, it became known as “The Cargile Institute.” However, by 1920, the two story building had outgrown its original capacity, and the Cargile brothers were forced to build an even larger building. This time they built the Cargile Institute at the dead-end of Mason Street along with facilities that would offer different kind of skills that would be beneficial to high school students after graduation.

In 1921, the Jasper County Board of Education realized that the Cargile Institute was something special, therefore the board voted to bring the school in as a part of the Jasper County School System, and they also agreed to fund the school in all of its future training for the African- American children of Jasper County.

Later that same year, the Cargile Institute was renamed and became the Jasper County Training School. J.C.T.S. would eventually become one of the highest rated schools in the South in academics, technical training and in basketball.