Location Information
(for the Valena C. Jones School Negro)
Name:Valena C. Jones School (Negro)
Address:310 Old Spanish Trail
City/County:Bay St. Louis, Hancock County
Architectural Information
Construction Date:1947
No. of Stories:1
Registration Information
NR District Name:Old Bay St. Louis (2010)
    NR Status:Contributing
    Element No.:534
Mississippi Landmark Information
Designated:04-21-2023
Recorded:05-26-2023
Book/Vol. No.:2023/Page 8058
Brief Description
310 Old Spanish Trail is a one-story, L-plan, Modern style structure that is supported by a concrete slab foundation, is clad with brick veneer, and is sheltered by two distinct roof sections: a gable roof sheathed with pressed metal is situated over former class and administrative space, and an arched roof is situated over a former gymnasium. The gable roof is a later alteration, replacing the structure's original flat roof.
Historic Information
310 Old Spanish Trail was the last segregated school constructed in Bay St. Louis prior to the ending of the "separate but equal" doctrine by the Supreme Court in 1954, and by the Civil Rights movement thereafter.The school was named for Valena C. MacArthur Jones, who was born in Bay St. Louis. She graduated from Straight College in 1892, and was soon after made principal of the Bay St. Louis Negro School. She left that position in 1897 to teach in New Orleans.
Reports
Valena C. Jones School: ML Significance Report, Oct. 2022, Jennifer Baughn, MDAH