Arkansas Negro Boys' Industrial School
Encyclopedia
The Arkansas Negro Boys' Industrial School was a juvenile correctional facility for black male children in Arkansas
.
There were two locations in 1936, with one in Jefferson County
, and one in Wrightsville
. The juvenile correctional facility in Wrightsville was 10 miles (16.1 km) southeast of Little Rock
. As of March 1959 the Wrightsville school had 69 boys aged between 14 and 17. Most of them were convicted of minor and petty crimes; some lived at the school because their families were dysfunctional and the boys had nowhere else to live. The boys lived in a 1936 Works Progress Administration
building described by TIME
as "rickety."
In the pre-dawn morning of March 5, 1959, the a fire started in the dormitory of the Wrightsville facility. The doors in the dormitory were locked, so the boys could not escape. Charley Meadows, a 16-year old night sergeant, broke open one window, allowing for egress. 48 boys managed to escape, while 21 died. The families of the deceased said that authorities told them that 14 of the dead boys were wrapped in newspapers and deposited in an unmarked grave. Some family members were skeptical of the account the officials gave of the burial. On the 50th anniversary of the fire, the families held a press conference at the Arkansas Capitol.
Governor of Arkansas Orval Faubus
asked a committee to investigate the fire. The committee concluded that the correctional facility, the State of Arkansas, and the local community held responsibility for the incident, but recommended no course of action. THV
said that "somehow the story faded into the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement."
The land once occupied by the unit now houses the Arkansas Department of Correction Wrightsville Unit
. There are no markers there that indicate that the boys school existed or that the fire occurred.
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
There were two locations in 1936, with one in Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Arkansas
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Its population was 77,435 at the 2010 United States Census. It is included in the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area. Jefferson County's county seat and largest city is Pine Bluff...
, and one in Wrightsville
Wrightsville, Arkansas
Wrightsville is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 1,368 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. The juvenile correctional facility in Wrightsville was 10 miles (16.1 km) southeast of Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
. As of March 1959 the Wrightsville school had 69 boys aged between 14 and 17. Most of them were convicted of minor and petty crimes; some lived at the school because their families were dysfunctional and the boys had nowhere else to live. The boys lived in a 1936 Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
building described by TIME
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
as "rickety."
In the pre-dawn morning of March 5, 1959, the a fire started in the dormitory of the Wrightsville facility. The doors in the dormitory were locked, so the boys could not escape. Charley Meadows, a 16-year old night sergeant, broke open one window, allowing for egress. 48 boys managed to escape, while 21 died. The families of the deceased said that authorities told them that 14 of the dead boys were wrapped in newspapers and deposited in an unmarked grave. Some family members were skeptical of the account the officials gave of the burial. On the 50th anniversary of the fire, the families held a press conference at the Arkansas Capitol.
Governor of Arkansas Orval Faubus
Orval Faubus
Orval Eugene Faubus was the 36th Governor of Arkansas, serving from 1955 to 1967. He is best known for his 1957 stand against the desegregation of Little Rock public schools during the Little Rock Crisis, in which he defied a unanimous decision of the United States Supreme Court by ordering the...
asked a committee to investigate the fire. The committee concluded that the correctional facility, the State of Arkansas, and the local community held responsibility for the incident, but recommended no course of action. THV
THV
THV may refer to:*Tetrahydrocannabivarin*The Horsemen's Voice*Trinity House Vessel*Tetrafluoroethylene / Hexafluoropropylene / Vinylidene fluoride copolymer...
said that "somehow the story faded into the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement."
The land once occupied by the unit now houses the Arkansas Department of Correction Wrightsville Unit
Wrightsville Unit
The Wrightsville Unit is an Arkansas Department of Correction prison in Wrightsville, Arkansas.Over of land at Wrightsville is dedicated to the raising of cattle and the production of hay....
. There are no markers there that indicate that the boys school existed or that the fire occurred.