~
Mary Ann Caldbeck Allen (’63):
While going through some old family pictures recently, I
came across a couple of class pictures from the 11th
Avenue School in Albany. This school was also known
as the Cotton Mill School. In 1945, my
grandmother, Anna Bland, came to Albany to teach
at this school.
I wonder if anyone remembers anything about this
school. I drove down through the old Cotton Mill
Village area today to see if I could remember
exactly where the school was located. Just looking at
the old houses and what is left of the mill, I figure it
must have been located at the corner of 11th Avenue
and Monroe with the front of the school facing 11th
Ave. Mr. Beasley’s grocery store was located in
close proximity to the school, maybe across the
street.
The school was a white wooden building and to me, a
young child, it resembled an old country church. If my
memory serves me correctly, it was a two room school
with my grandmother teaching the younger children and
Ruth Whaley teaching the older children up through
the 6th grade. Before I started to school, and later
when my school wasn’t in session, I would sometimes go
with my grandmother to the school. I definitely
remember the hard wooden floors and that there was a
piano in the classroom. I seem to recall a wood stove in
the room. The children sat in different sections of
the classroom according to their grade. They had a huge
playground with playground equipment that would be
banned today. They had a really tall slide, those huge
swing sets, monkey bars, and my favorite, a giant stride
(remember those?). Of course, there was no lunchroom so
the children brought their lunches or they went home for
lunch.
As I stated, my grandmother came to teach at the 11th
Avenue School in 1945. She was hired by the
Superintendent of the Dougherty County School System or
maybe it was called the Albany School System back then.
I believe the superintendent was Mr. Warren. From what
I heard through the years, the school was a part of the
public school system; but, at the same time, it was
not. The school system hired teachers, provided the
curriculum, etc.; but the Cotton Mill paid the teachers
and provided the building, etc. The school was strictly
for the children of the workers at the Cotton Mill. My
mother said it was kind of like a private school.
I am not sure how long the school was there before 1945
but it closed down about 1954 or 55 and my grandmother
went to teach 2nd grade at Mamie Brosnan School.
When Magnolia Elementary School opened in 1958,
she went there to teach until her retirement in 1970.
I do not know the years the class pictures were taken;
one looks to be from the early 50s and the other from
the late 40s maybe. Hope someone can identify some of
the children. I am also sending a picture of my
grandmother on the playground at the school. At one
time, we had a picture of the school and I am attempting
to find that picture.
After the 6th grade, the children at the 11th Avenue
School would have gone on to
Albany Jr. High and
Albany High.
Anybody have any memories of this school?
Can anyone identify the children in the recital
picture below?
Afterthoughts ...
Grandmother
also
taught piano and
taught Sunday School in the Jr. Dept. at First
Baptist during those years until she went to
Central Baptist. I am amazed to this day that I
still run into people in Albany who were either taught
in school by this amazing woman or learned piano from
her or learned about Jesus from her.
