Vicksburg had the first public school system in Mississippi

Public education is the foundation of any thriving society. It serves to elevate the populace with a better understanding of the political, economical, and philosophical world around them. An investment in our younger generations will help them succeed in making well-informed contributions to our society with the hope that they will surpass what we, the current generation, are capable of accomplishing. This belief is one of the underlying principles that led Vicksburg in establishing the first public school system in the State of Mississippi.

Official records of the Public School System here in Vicksburg begins in 1845 with documentation of the financial support of public education coming from local fraternity groups such as the Masons, the Odd Fellows, and the Mechanics’ Mutual Benefit Society. We believe that the school system began almost a decade earlier though based on a composition done by local student Alice Irwin. Alice writes, “It (the Public School System) was formed in 1835, and has grown with astonishing rapidity and surpasses the expectations of its patrons.” By 1846, the City of Vicksburg, seeing a necessity in continuing the program, levied a special tax from local arrests and fines that would be placed into a public school fund. The plan was synergistic and simple; take the monies collected from crime today, and invest them in improving the next generation.

Report of Fines for School Fund 1880 (Courtesy: Old Courthouse Museum)

Vicksburg, being a river city, had the benefit of having a diverse faculty from the very beginning, exposing students to various cultures and beliefs that were not commonly experienced in the Old South. Among the first recorded teachers in Warren County three were from France, two from Ireland, one from Germany, four were from New York, four from Virginia, two from Massachusetts, one from North Carolina, one from Missouri, one from Tennessee, one from Alabama, and one from Connecticut. Students in Vicksburg, during a time when recreational travel was much harder, were meeting and learning from people from all across their country and the world.

Josiah Gilbert Holland (Courtesy: Old Courthouse Museum)

Josiah Gilbert Holland would become the first Superintendent of Education for Vicksburg from 1847 to 1849. Holland was a doctor in Massachusetts before becoming a teacher. He and his wife just had their first child, and the medical profession did not provide a well enough living for him to support his new family. Despite having been a teacher for such a short time, Vicksburg offered him the position with a salary of $1,000 annually, which he accepted. His stay in Vicksburg was short, but his work laid the foundation for what would become a fast and thriving school system. After leaving Vicksburg he became famous as a novelist and poet under the pseudonym of Timothy Titcomb. One of his most recognized accomplishments was a full biography of Abraham Lincoln, Life of Abraham Lincoln.

In 1850, the City purchased the first official school building for the district, cementing publicly funded education for the people of Vicksburg. An old hotel on Main Street was acquired for use by both boys and girls. The new Main Street School, “having the highest and complete course of study than any other in the State,” would have twelve lecture rooms and a single office for the Superintendent. It would stay in use until 1932 when it was retired.

Vicksburg and Warren County Historical Society

If you enjoyed this story about the history of Vicksburg’s Public School System and want to learn more, please consider visiting the Old Court House Museum here in Vicksburg, MS. We’ve been a museum for 74 years now, and all items on display were donated by families from here. We also have a vast archive in our McCardle Research Library that is accessible by appointment. Members of the Historical Society have free admission to the museum, so please also consider becoming a member. All proceeds raised through membership go directly to the preservation of the museum and its contents. For more information visit our website at www.oldcourthouse.org or give us a call at 601-636-0741. You never know what you’ll find at the Old Court House!