JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — If you've ever walked past the Stanton schoolhouse building on Ashley Street in Jacksonville's LaVilla neighborhood and wondered what it was like inside the first school in Florida for Black children, Nathaniel "Nat" Glover and Dr. Norma Solomon White share a firsthand account. The two are among Stanton's most notable graduates.
Erected in 1868, the Stanton Institute was a two-story wooden building created to educate Blacks and train teachers.
"I see it as the foundation of education in this community for African Americans," Glover said. "I graduated from Stanton in 1961. And have always felt privileged in a way to have graduated from New Stanton."
Glover was Jacksonville's first Black sheriff, elected in 1995. He went on to lead then-Edward Waters College as its president in 2010.
Before making history, Glover made major plays on Stanton's football team under the leadership of legendary coach, J.P. Small.
"I played one year, and I was an all-conference guard, most valuable offensive lineman and ended up with a full scholarship to Edward Waters College," Glover said.
Glover stepped into a well-known rivalry during his one year on the field, known as the East-West Classic, which featured Matthew W. Gilbert Middle School versus Stanton.
"I think we lost," Glover told First Coast News followed by a chuckle. "So, I had to live with that one."
"We knew that Gilbert was going to win sometimes because they did have some good football players," White said. "But, we always knew that the band was going to win because the marching bands were outstanding. Both had very good band directors, but Stanton always came out on top. And I'm not just saying that because I was in Stanton's band, I'm saying that because it was the truth!"
White also made history after graduating from Stanton in 1951. She joined the Marching 100 at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University as their first female band member. She'd go on to lead the international public service organization, Alpha Kappa Alpha, as its 25th Supreme Basileus.
Both Glover and White credit the educators at Stanton for setting a firm foundation for success.
"There was no cutting up in the halls," White said. "We had to go straight from one place to the next. We had the kind of teachers who encouraged us, inspired us, and made sure that we all did the right thing. Everybody had to be obedient. We didn't have anyone talking back to the teacher. That was a no no."
Under a segregated education system, Stanton was the first school for Black students in the state of Florida. Back in 1882 before White and Glover's time there, Stanton was ravaged by a fire. A replacement was built, and it too succumbed to the same fate. The Great Fire of 1901 consumed most of Jacksonville, destroying the Stanton school building. And again, another wooden structure was erected in its place.
History was made within the school's walls. Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing was first performed at Stanton in 1900. The song's creator, James Weldon Johnson, was the school principal at the time. His mother, Helen, once served as an educator there.
While Stanton students were enriched, the building suffered years of neglect and by 1914, the wooden schoolhouse was declared a fire hazard.
Johnson fought for a fire-proof brick building to be built and it still stands to this day, bearing the name Stanton in honor of a champion of education for negro boys and girls, General Edwin McMasters Stanton, President Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of War.
By 1953, the Stanton name would be transferred to a new building on 13th Street in LaVilla and renamed, 'New Stanton Senior High School.'
"Stanton produced a lot of historymakers," Good Morning Jacksonville Anchor Keitha Nelson said. "There's just something in the water I suppose."
"Whatever it is, I'm glad we were a part of it," White said. "It's okay to be okay and it's good to be good, but you strive to be the best," Glover added. "And that's what I did."
In the early-1980s, Stanton College Preparatory School was created, Duval County Public Schools' first magnet school. It's now recognized as one of the top performing schools in the nation.
Historic Stanton, Inc. is working to restore the Old Stanton building, a three-story brick structure on Ashley and Clay streets. The plan is to turn it into a multipurpose cultural center.
Vivid Hues: The Stanton School's featured artist, Jerett Walker.